


Long May She Reign

by FightforFiction



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-14 18:07:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5753161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FightforFiction/pseuds/FightforFiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Panem 1557. Katniss the Queen of The Seam has been hidden away at a convent for saftey since age 11.</p><p>Engaged since childhood to the current blue-eyed prince and future king of The Capitol. She awaits her return to Capitol court…</p><p>Direct quotes from Reign and The Hunger Games Series have been used. I don't own any of it</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>   
>    
> 

The table bustles as the stew portions are served out for supper. Katniss sits quietly, waiting patiently to eat her lamb stew, her favorite meal. She looks around at the archery fields that are off in the distance, longing to hold her bow in her hands; supper was always held outside so the girls could enjoy ‘ _God’s Gift’_.

As Sister Paylor stands at the head of the table, one of the nuns start to splutter, foam forming at the corner of her lips, blood staining her ears. Shrill cries call out as her head falls into the stew in front of her, making gravy splash everywhere. Katniss is frozen in place, shocked that a woman she had known for seven years had died; Twill was one of her favorite people in the convent.

Katniss is broken out of her daze when someone grabs her shoulders; she looks up to find Sister Paylor urging her to move, so she does. She is lead through the stone halls of the convent, people running everywhere, the other girls being ushered into their rooms.

Katniss looks around frantically, finding Lavinia’s eyes in the crowd; the small girl gives her a nod. Katniss turn back around to Sister Paylor, finally finding her voice after minutes of shock, “W-what’s happening?”

Sister Paylor loosens her grip on Katniss’s arm, they enter her room, and she shuts the door behind them, cutting off the commotion from the hall. The woman turns to Katniss and she says urgently, “There was an attempt on your life; just like there was seven years ago Katniss. You are the queen of The Seam, you have always had someone tasting your food for you, since the day your mother stopped breastfeeding you. Twill was the unlucky one.”

Her eyes widen, Katniss sits on her bed and slumps her shoulders, utterly bewildered. “Are they the ones who killed my father?”

Sister Paylor solemnly nods, and sits beside Katniss on the bed, wrapping an arm around her skinny shoulders. Sister Paylor sighs and says, “In a few short months you will turn eighteen, and you will be wed to the Prince of The Capitol. It will be safer for you there, they can protect you far better.”

The woman stands and makes her way to the corner of the room, kicking an old rug to the side. She finds a latch and pulls open a trap door, Katniss gawks as Sister Paylor pulls out a large chest, embedded with small diamonds. Katniss’s mouth opens and shuts, like a fish out of water; the nun grabs some keys from under her shawl and unlocks the heavy deadbolt that hangs off the chest.

Katniss watches as Sister Paylor pulls a dagger from the chest and unsheathes it, checking it for any faults. “May I ask Sister Paylor... are you even a nun?”

Sister Paylor smiles and shakes her head slightly, she puts the dagger back into its sheathe and replies, “I am the commander of the Royal Guard of The Seam. Your father appointed me to you when you were born, I am sworn to protect you with my life.”

Katniss nods, looking down at her hands that are tightly clenched together. She looks up when Paylor lays a hand on her shoulder; the woman gazes down at her with soft eyes, instantly making Katniss relax. Paylor places a brown leather coat on her bed, and then pulls a forest green dress from the diamond-incrusted chest, “It’s time you change out of those rags My Queen.”

* * *

Katniss exits the heavy wooden doors of the convent to find all the girls and nuns smiling, waiting outside for her. She holds her head high, and gracefully walks down the steps onto the gravel path, her green dress floating around her; her fathers cloak sits on her shoulders, a bit big for her bony shoulders, but the smell of pine needles and worn leather soothes her.

Katniss’s chocolate brown hair is intricately woven, so the braid wraps around her head and her hair is let to cascade down her shoulders. A golden crown sits on her head, it looks as if some one has woven branches and leaves together, dipped them in gold, and encrusted emeralds into them. A crown of vines.

She walks towards the carriage, smiling to the girls she grew up with, knowing that this maybe the last she will ever see of them. As she nears her carriage, Lavinia steps out and hugs Katniss, wrapping her pale skinny arms around her. “I must go Lavinia, it is time I become Queen.”

Lavinia steps back, her eyes pleading with Katniss. The young girl was left at the convent six moths after Katniss arrived; Lavinia was eight years old, and a mute. Katniss spent hours learning sign language so the girl had a friend that could understand her. Lavinia signs, “ _Write to me, you must.”_

Katniss reaches out and tucks a red piece of hair behind the girl’s ear; she cups her chin and softly replies, “I promise, I will.”

Lavinia gives Katniss one last hug and steps back. Katniss turns back to Paylor, who is now dressed in a guards uniform, which is coal black medal with a Mockingjay pressed into the chest, a red strip is tied around Paylor’s arm, signifying that she is the highest in command.

“Shall we go my Queen?” Paylor asks with a smile, her excitement showing.

Katniss takes one final look at the rolling hills; this part of The Seam was her favorite. But now she was leaving it all behind, for the built up kingdom of The Capitol. She turns back to Paylor, and she answers, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

* * *

 

Peeta bounds the steps to his father’s room, hastily buttoning his pants and tucking his shirt in. Just as he turns into the hall he bumps into his bastard brother. “Gale,” Peeta smiles.

“Peeta, where have you been, I’ve been sent out to find you,” Gale questions, a knowing smile on his lips. Gale isn’t blood related to Peeta, when Peeta’s father met Gale’s mother, Hazelle, Gale was three, but Hazelle agreed to be the king’s mistress anyway.

“Uh… Riding,” Peeta quickly replies, straightening his coat.

“Really? Who?” Gale comments. Peeta laughs and jabs his stepbrother in the torso, making him flinch.

“So Gale how is the mood?” Peeta asks, diverting conversation from his trysts.

Rolling his eyes Gale replies, “Father’s or the mood in general? Well you know with the arrival of Queen Katniss, and your sisters wedding, he’s a bit on edge.”

“Is your mother in there?” Peeta asks, running a hand through his mussed hair, trying to keep him self from looking disheveled.

“No. You know the rules Peeta. _Royals Only.”_ Gale says mimicking Peeta’s father’s voice, causing him to chuckle. “But Peeta, your mother is in fine form, thank the lord.

“Any who, I am off duty now that you are here.” Gale pats Peeta’s shoulder and smiles smugly, he then turns and jogs down the steps and out into the courtyard.

Peeta shakes his head and mutters, “ _Lucky bastard_.”

 

* * *

 

“Katniss should be hidden, protected, Snow.” His mother’s voice sounds out, as Peeta enters the room. He finds his sister, Farina, having her wedding dress fitted; Peeta gives her an elegant bow and a wink, to which his younger sister giggles. His mother continues, “Her arrival upstages our daughter’s wedding.”

Peeta stands a few feet away from his parents, waiting for this little tiff to play out. His father turns to look at his mother, his dark eyes squinting at her. “Katniss has been kept at a convent for seven years, Meredith. I think she has had enough _hiding._ I also think it is the perfect location to show the other Districts our ties with The Seam. _”_

His father scratches his white beard, his eyes land on Peeta and a smile forms on his lips. “Peeta, my boy!” He opens his arms, showing off the red and gold attire he is wearing.

“I was told I was needed,” Peeta says, raising his eyebrows. “Or should I come back on my wedding day? It seems that you have already chosen my wife or will you be deciding that too?”

His father’s arms drop to his side and his smile turns into a scowl, he replies icily, “How about this? Your wedding day is when I say so, or when 13 turns their swords in our direction. She is on her way.”

“Katniss Everdeen, you mean? I heard.” Peeta mumbles, looking down from his father’s steely glare.

“You don’t sound very excited Peeta, you were once smitten with the little girl.” His father laughs; he slips some large rings onto his beefy fingers and holds them out so they glint in the sunlight streaming into the room.

Peeta replies, “Well she had stubby legs, a front tooth missing, and she was very stubborn.”

“I’m sure her legs have grown, the tooth has come in, and the stubbornness you can ignore. Isn’t that right Meredith?” His father glances at his mother, who shakes her head with a roll of her eyes.

His mother begins, “Her ladies in waiting will be arriving as well. One of them is her sister, two of them are the daughters of lords, and the last one is ridiculously rich.”

“Moving on. Katniss has one of the, if not the richest district in Panem; with the amount of coalmines she has in that ‘ _Seam’_ we could power the whole of Panem for a millennium. She also has an army, those men would die for her because of her father, and they are the fiercest warriors from spending day after day of using a pickaxe. And apparently she is easy on the gaze.”

His father straightens his sleeves, and then says, “I will be in my quarters if any of you need me.” He walks away with his servants trailing behind him.

“Snow,” Peeta’s mother calls out, his father stops and turns around, peering at his mother. “We have to be in the gardens for noon.” He nods and turns away, bowing toward Farina, before making his way out of the room.

His mother turns back to Peeta and she says, “I may have not been born into royalty, but this country runs off of my money. Pfft let him talk like a King.” Peeta chuckles and his mother wipes down his shoulders, and straightens his collar for him, “Your wedding will happen when _I_ say so. I am always on your side Peeta.”

“I know.” Peeta smiles, and lets his mother pat his cheek. She then exits the room with her ladies trailing behind her.

Peeta leaves soon after his mother, making his way to the library, he finds Delly sitting in a large chair looking over the gardens. When she spots him she stands and opens her arms. “Hello my prince,” she giggles embracing him; making her blonde curls bounce around.

“Hello my mistress,” He greets, using a low voice that he knows Delly loves. “How are we?”

“Well after what happened this morning, I am better than ever.” Delly blushes, she looks down and smiles shyly. He chuckles and presses a kiss to her hair, she then looks up a more serious look on her face. “Your future wife is arriving today.”

Peeta sighs, running a hand through his blonde curls. “I know.”

“What if you fall in love with her?” Delly asks, her voice small and her blue eyes worried.

Peeta catches her chin in his hand and he consoles, “Delly remember I can have you as my mistress, we can still have children, just like my father and Hazelle. All I have to do is have a couple kids with her and then we can live happily together.”

Delly smiles and nods, she reaches up and presses a kiss to his jaw. She mumbles into his cheek, “Imagine our children Peeta. Blonde hair and blue eyes just like us, the boys with strong jaws and wide shoulders; the girls with pink cheeks and cute laughs.”

Peeta hums and pulls Delly closer, kissing her furiously. They have been together since they were sixteen, and they decided that Delly would become his mistress when he was married to Katniss. Peeta thought that he could only ever love Delly; she was his first after all.

Delly pulls away from him and giggles, smoothing down her pink dress, “Calm down Peeta, I’ll look like a wreck when she arrives.”

Peeta smiles mischievously, he grabs her back over her neck and whispers, “Enough about her, I think we have enough time to go up to my room.”

 

* * *

 

Peeta makes his way down the stairs, following the crowd of noble men and women to the garden. The sound of the trumpets sounding through out the castle. Peeta catches a sight of Gale leaning against a marble pillar and nods for him to come, Gale smiles and follows Peeta down the stairs and out into the gardens.

He joins his parents on the stone path that leads from the gardens to the castle; they both have their crowns on their heads and their chins held high. Gale stands on Peeta’s left side and Delly joins him on his right. They all watch as a mahogany carriage pulled by white horses comes into view. Just by the look of it you can tell that the kingdom of The Seam is rich.

The carriage stops, and the footmen place a step on the ground and open the door, two girls step out. The first has brown hair and sea green eyes, she’s dressed in a coral blue dress, the second with black hair and brown eyes, she is dressed in a dusty red dress. Delly makes the comment, “She isn’t that pretty. Her dress isn’t nice at all.”

Gale leans forward and says, “That’s not her Delly, nice try though.”

Delly glares at Gale, she straightens her gait, and grips Peeta’s arm tighter. A second carriage pulls up, being pulled by coal black horses; this one has golden trim signifying the royals’ carriage. The footmen once again place steps on the ground and opens the door, the first girl to step out has golden blonde hair that falls in curls to her shoulders and bright blue eyes that match the sky, she wears a white dress with purple flowers embedded into it, it flows in the breeze causing her to smile ravishingly. Peeta’s eyes widen at her beauty, he steals a look at Gale whose mouth is hanging slightly open. Gale mutters, “Sweet lord.”

Peeta jabs him in the ribs, and Gale chuckles, sending him a death glare. Another girl steps out, she is quite small, her blonde hair is braided and her blue eyes are widened to her surroundings, and excited smile graces her features.

A guard steps beside the door, she is average height, with dark skin and dark eyes, and her hair his chopped short to her shoulders. Her armor is coal black with a bird pressed into the chest plate; a red band is tied around her lest bicep, and a large sword hangs off of her belt.

Another figure steps out of the carriage, a brown leather cloak resting on her shoulders and the hood pulled up shielding her face from view. “That’s a nice cloak,” Gale breathes, he smiles and looks down to Peeta, “It would be custom made, look at the stitching on the trim of it.” Peeta raises one finger to his lips, and Gale stops talking, looking back to the girl. She’s quite small, the top of her head would touch Peeta’s nose, and she wears a flowing forest green dress.

The girl makes her way over to the others and they all hug, greeting each other; Peeta looks around for the next carriage that would be carrying Katniss, it must be late. The woman in the guards’ uniform touches the girl in the brown cloaks shoulder and whispers something to her, the girl nods and she walks up to the path. The trumpets sound and somewhere a man yells, “Queen Katniss of The Seam!”

The girl bows her head and removes the hood that was shielding her face. Peeta’s mouth drops open at the sight of her, the girl he was smitten with when he was five, is now a woman. Her brown hair cascades over her shoulders in waves, and her golden woven looking crown sits on her braids. Her almond shaped eyes are swirling a grey that match thunderous storm clouds; her face is sharp, with high cheekbones and a sloping nose. Her top lip takes on the shape of a bow, while her bottom lip is full; they’re the colour of strawberries. Her skin is tan against the green of her dress, making her look like a forest nymph.

Peeta is broken out of his stupor when Delly says; “She doesn’t hold herself like a lady.”

“No,” Peeta breathes his gaze never leaving Katniss, he then adds, “She holds herself like a queen.”

Peeta steals another look at Gale whose eyes are practically bulging out of his head now, and his mouth is hanging open. Peeta quickly casts his gaze back onto Katniss; he detaches himself from Delly, and slowly walks towards Katniss; his hands behind his back. When he reaches her, he bows and says, “Your grace, it’s my pleasure to be in your presence. Peeta, as you may remember me.”

“Oh please call me Katniss,” She smiles, he feels his heart rate go up as her eyes scan over his face. She looks about the gardens and up to the castle, she says, “The castle seems bigger, is that possible? And you too of course…”

Peeta smiles and looks down at himself, he looks back up at her and asks, “Is that such a surprise?”

“No, especially since your legs were always longer than mine… You know I hated that when we were children, I couldn’t out run you and I was always chasing after you… but now… now it suits you.” Katniss rambles; she looks down noticeably blushing.

Peeta smiles charmingly, and he says, “Well I’m sure you could certainly catch up now.” They turn back to his father, he and Katniss walk together, he can feel the grin on his features. _I wonder if the birds will stop to listen now,_ he muses to himself as he glances at her. Peeta’s eyes meet with Delly’s, they’re squinted slightly, and her mouth is pursed. Gale has a huge grin on his features has his eyes follow Katniss.

They stop in front of his parents, and Katniss curtsies, she greets, “King Cornelius, Queen Meredith.”

“Queen Katniss, it’s a pleasure to meet you once again, you’re so grown up.” His father smiles, his eyes raking over Katniss making her uncomfortable, Peeta shifts closer hoping to give her some comfort.

“It is good to see you too,” Katniss says quietly. She shifts her gaze to Peeta’s mother and a smile spreads across her lips, “Hello Queen Meredith.”

“Please, just call me Meredith. It’s always good to see you again Katniss,” His mother smiles warmly, Peeta remembers the soft spot his mother always had for Katniss, he sometimes thought that she would have wanted Katniss over him.

Katniss turns to Delly and raises her eyebrows; Delly bows her head and says, “My name is Delly, your highness.”

Katniss smiles and then shifts her gaze to Gale, his eyes lock onto hers and he gives her a small smile, they share the same features with dark hair, tan skin and grey eyes; he’s at least a foot taller than her. They could almost be cousins. “Gale,” Katniss says, “I remember you from when we were children.”

“It’s good to see you again, your grace,” Gale bows gallantly, and gives her a smoldering smile to which he gives to all the girls. But Katniss isn’t any other girl; she is the Queen.

“It is good to see you,” Katniss bows her head formally, Peeta watches the interaction carefully, he doesn’t want his stepbrother to get any ideas.

Peeta’s father smiles, and claps his hands together loudly, getting the attention of everybody, he looks down to Katniss and says, “May our night be filled with festivities as we celebrate the marriage of princess Farina and the arrival of Queen Katniss!”


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss lets her fingertips glide over the worn wooden railing, it has been years since she had been up to her old rooms. It was Prim’s idea initially to explore, and this was the first place that came to Katniss’s mind. Sunlight shines in from large windows at the top of the stairs, they look over the forest and meadow, giving Katniss memories of her picking flowers and climbing trees.

She pushes open the door to her old room and is hit with an aroma of freshly baked goods. Katniss stops to find Peeta sitting at a table with a pencil in hand, his alarmed eyes stare up at her and he asks, “Katniss what are you doing here?”

Katniss looks around and finds one half of the room has paintings supplies and art easels, while the other side has two ovens and a large marble bench with bread resting on top of it. Katniss finally answers, “I-I was exploring. These were my old rooms, don’t you remember?”

Peeta smiles and he replies, “Yes, I do remember.”

Katniss’s eyes fall upon the book in his hands, he’s been sketching, she can see the rough lines of where the charcoal scratched and the smudges where he erased a mistake. “So what is this room for now?” Katniss questions.

Peeta scratches the back of his head, he places the charcoal on the desk and he stands, “This is my _room,_ this is where I escape to. I feel that every king should have a talent, so I started coming up here when I was thirteen. It was the only place I could go, my-half brother Gale can do what he wants; if he wants to learn something, he does. If he wants to travel, he does. It’s because he’s expendable, my father wouldn’t mind if he died.”

Katniss watches Peeta silently as he rambles, the tips of his ears burn pink and his mouth turns down into a frown, she doesn’t like the look on his face. Peeta stops and rests his hands on the desk, his head hanging down making his blonde curls fall. Katniss suddenly bursts, “I can hit a squirrel in the eye with an arrow from thirty yards away.”

Peeta’s head snaps up and their eyes meet, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. She continues to ramble, “I can sort of sing, I’m not really sure about that. I can milk a goat, and skin a rabbit. I can scale trees, and I can whistle. I guess they’re small talents, but I have them.”

Peeta smiles boyishly at her, making his eyes crinkle up at the sides and dimples show on his cheeks. He raises his eyebrows and asks, “You can hit a squirrel in the eye from thirty yards away?”

Katniss nods happily and she replies, “My father taught me how to hunt, but when he died and I was shipped off to the convent, I took both my and my father’s bows and I taught myself more.”

“That’s amazing,” Peeta smiles, he scratches his chin and watches her intently, his eyes glimmering in amusement.

“I guess when we ran out of food at the convent, and we got hungry I would go out and get a few rabbits and squirrels. Greasy Sae would cook up a stew and we would be fine for a few more days.”

Peeta chuckles and looks down at his hands, smudges of black cover them from where he rested his hands on the charcoal. Katniss smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. Peeta breaks the silence by saying, _“The perfect Queen will provide.”_ Katniss quirks an eyebrow, he continues, “My father said that to me when I was younger, he said: ‘ _the perfect Queen will provide and protect her country’._ I guess it was you he was talking about.”

Katniss feels her cheeks heat up instantly as their eyes lock, Peeta’s lips are set into an easy smile, where Katniss’s mouth hangs slightly open. After a second she regains her self and clears her throat, she looks around the room once again, training her eyes on the blazing ovens. “Well,” She begins, her voice steadier than she expected, “I should leave, we have your sisters wedding tonight and I need to get dressed.”

“Yes…” Peeta trails off; he wipes his hands on his dirty shirt and closes the sketchbook. Katniss sends him a flustered smile and she turns to leave, closing the heavy wooden door behind her. She scurries down the stairs with one thought, _I wonder if I have time for the meadow._

* * *

 

Peeta smears the charcoal off of his hands onto his breeches; he wipes his golden curls away from his face and begins packing up his sketchbooks. His mind is reeling over the conversation he just had with Katniss, he now knows that she is a completely capable queen. A _hunter?_ No wonder her father was called the Shooting King, he taught his daughter to provide and serve the people around her.

He places the risen dough in the fireplace, and lights a small fire so they cook slowly and crisply. Peeta grabs his sketchbook and makes his way back to his chambers, weaving through the halls, and to the main living quarters. He enters his room, and shuts his heavy door behind him.

Peeta rests on the large soft-orange couch that sits in front of his fire pit. He rubs his eyes, just thinking of the warm smile Katniss gave him, sends shivers down his spine.

_“She is amazing,”_ he mutters to himself, sitting back up and raking his hand through his coal dusted hair. He hears the door being shifted open, he looks up and finds Delly standing in the door way. “Hello, Delly.” Peeta greets breathlessly.

“Hello, _my prince,”_ Delly giggles; she shuts the door behind her and steps towards him gingerly. “When Katniss came today, you began ignoring me.”

“Well Delly it would not look good if I was talking to you would it?” Peeta stands up, and smiles kindly. He walks over towards her and places his hands on her arms. “I’m with you now.”

She looks down to his hands and frowns, Delly picks his hand up and asks, “Peeta have you been drawing again?”

Peeta steps back and he wipes his hands on his breeches, “Yes I have Delly, it’s something I quite enjoy.”

“I told you Peeta, drawing is not a talent a King should have, perhaps blacksmithing or jousting.” Delly suggests, taking a step closer to him. “You’ll be a better king that way, I know you will.”

Peeta looks at her dubiously, he counters, “Delly, you are not a royal nor ever will be, how do you know what a King should be like?”

She walks closer towards him once more and places her hands on either side of his face. He stares into her plain blue eyes, and she murmurs, “Peeta, just be what I want you to be. Be what the Kingdom needs you to be. None of your personal interests or your personality should get in the way of your leading.”

“Delly I-“

“Hush Peeta I’m only telling the truth.” Peeta raises his eyebrows as she presses a finger to his lips. Her spare hand glides down to his belt and traces the hard leather. “Maybe I can ease your tension.”

Peeta places his hand on hers and shakes his head, “Not now Delly not when Katniss is in the castle.”

“Then when will the best time be? I can’t wait forever Peeta, and this is the best time as any.” Delly says, she grabs the back of his head and pulls him down into a kiss, she kisses him passionately, but he doesn’t respond as zealously.

“No Delly.” Peeta pushes her off of him and holds her at arms length away. “Not now.”

Delly sighs and then looks down at her shoulder, she reaches up and pulls the sleeve of her dress down, exposing her collarbones and some of her cleavage. “Then perhaps,” She breathes, “You can entertain me.”

 

* * *

 

Buttercup purrs softly next to Katniss, she looks down at her sister’s cat and sighs, she scratches behind his ears as she idly sits in the meadow. Spring has brought luscious green fields and colorful blooming flowers; the small stream that runs through the meadow is full of life and babbles as the water flows over the rocks; it almost reminds her of The Seam, the rolling hills, the sense of forever when you looked out onto the valley. Katniss smiles, her eyes fixated on the slowly setting sun.

She starts to pick the dandelions that grow around her, the bright yellow flowers contrast in color to the dark green grass. A smile resides on Katniss’s lips as the small pile she has grows in size, she also finds babies-breath in a shrub a few feet away from her. She ties the bouquet of flowers with a white ribbon from her hair, and stands wiping the small bits of dirt off of her dress; Buttercup begins to whine, his teeth bared.

“Quiet,” Katniss shushes; the cat ignores her and slowly creeps toward the tall forest, the trees swaying in the gust of wind, the sound of life coming from it. It’s like it’s calling to her. Katniss looks down to the grungy yellow cat and she asks, “Shall we go have a look?”

Butter cup whines in response and Katniss nods, walking towards the tall forest; she can see how the sun breaks through the canopy and casts shadows onto the forest floor, how squirrels scurry up trees, and rabbits bound through their trails. She stops a few meters away, the smell of pine and freshly fallen rain inundates her senses, and it’s only a step away.

“My Queen!”

Katniss is broken out of her reverie; she turns towards the voice, opening her eyes to the sound of a trotting horse. Gale sits on a honey coloured steed, his black hair that falls just below his ears, falls into his face. He holds the reigns tightly and looks down at her, almost like a child.

“My Queen,” Gale repeats, his voice clearer, “You cannot be going into those woods, they’re full of horrid creatures.”

Katniss looks at him quizzically, her eyebrows shooting up. “Excuse me?”

Gale demounts the horse and walks closer, a smile stretching across his lips. _He’s quite handsome,_ Katniss muses as Gale pushes his hair out of his eyes; _he could be from The Seam._

“It is dangerous in those woods,” Gale says, his gaze set into the forest before them, “Not unless you are trained. It is my duty to protect you from these dangers.”

“What makes you think I can’t protect myself?” Katniss asks forcefully, irritated from the patronizing tone he is using, Gale looks taken aback his grey eyes narrowing. “I know how to handle a bow, I could hit a target on the bulls eye nine out of ten times!”

Gale smirks and quirks his head to the side, he rests his hand on the hilt of his sword, “Really? I would have to take you up on that.”

Katniss narrows her eyes at the man, he watches her amused; she straightens her posture, and asks in her most authoritative tone, “Are you questioning me, Mr. Hawthorne?”

Gale’s smug smile drops off of his lips, and instant panic is replaced, “No! No-I I didn’t mean to-“

Katniss holds up her hand and smiles, “I will take you up on that, Gale. But how can I shoot a bow if I’m a fragile little girl?”

Gale has a look of confusion on his features for a brief moment, and then a grin over takes his features, he runs a hand through his hair and chuckles, “You almost had me there My Queen, but I would be honored to take you to the archery range.”

Katniss smiles and looks down at Buttercup who is rubbing himself up against her dress, she sighs, “Well I best be heading back for your half-sisters wedding, my ladies will want to get ready with me.”

Gale nods and he pulls on the reigns on his horse, he nods his head toward the castle and asks: “Then you wouldn’t mind if I walked you?” Katniss shakes her head, and accepts his outstretched elbow. He looks down at her with an almost smug grin and he says, “That is a fine cloak My Queen.”

She looks to the worn trim of her father’s old coat, she smiles shyly and says: “It was my fathers.” She looks forward to the looming castle and then says, “You may call me Katniss; I don’t like how formal ‘ _My Queen’_ sounds.”

“Yes… My Queen,” Gale casts a sideways glance, and Katniss chuckles, clutching the bouquet of dandelions in her hands.

 

* * *

 

Katniss walks down the hall towards her room, people mill around preparing for the oncoming wedding, they bow their heads when they see her, greeting her as ‘ _your highness’_ or _‘your majesty.’_ It gets quite monotone, she almost doesn’t reply anymore.

Just as Katniss turns the corner to the living wing, Delly exits out of Peeta’s room with her hair messy and her dress pulled down her shoulder. Katniss stops, Delly looks around and obviously doesn’t spot her because she lets out a sigh and scurries towards her room. A heat wafts through Katniss’s body, making her skin prickle and her arms feel heavy.

She continues walking, thoughts racing through her mind of why Delly was in there. Just as she passes the door, it swings open, Peeta stands there with his shirt untied at the top, and his belt unbuckled. “My Queen!” He exclaims, he hurriedly buckles his belt and pulls his top closed. “What are you doing here?”

Katniss purses her lips and says in a venomous tone, “You seem to be asking me that question a quite lot, prince Peeta.” His eyes widen, she can feel the betrayal in her blood, as red-hot anger courses through her. It’s like they prey she’s hunted, the look of shock when you send an arrow hurtling toward them. “I was just making my way to my chambers… as was Delly.”

Peeta’s face goes ashen; his mouth hangs open a tad, “Katniss I-“

“Were you with her?” Katniss questions, her voice harsh and demanding.

“Yes.” He replies breathlessly. Peeta’s expression then hardens, and he clenches his jaw, he leans in a bit and says in a low voice, “If I may remind you now, Katniss, Kings don’t answer to their wives.”

Katniss almost smiles at his attempt to intimidate her, she steps in closer so their lips are inches apart, she turns her head up so her eyes bore into his, causing his breath to hitch. “If _I_ may remind you Peeta, you are not a king, yet I am your Queen. I could walk away at anytime, I have had plenty of the districts offer their Kings or Princes to wed with me.”

Peeta’s eyes widen as she steps back, he looks down under her steely glare, Katniss holds her chin high, “Now if you’ll excuse me.”

She straightens up her gait and gracefully walks away, leaving Peeta gaping after her. As she nears her chambers a guard pulls open a door for her, she recognizes him as one of Paylor’s guards with his shiny black armor.

“Katniss! Isn’t the castle just lovely,” Prim jumps up from her seat, a bright smile set onto her face; but once she sees Katniss’s expression, her smile fades and her eyebrows furrow in worry. “Katniss…are you okay?”

Katniss inhales deeply and closes her eyes for a brief second. The prickling of anger on her skin begins to fade, and the colour of red that clouded her vision slowly recedes. “I’m fine, Prim.” Katniss speaks in a stoic stone, opening her eyes to her four ladies that sit around her chambers.

They are quite large; it has two rooms connected by a large wooden archway. The walls are built with brick, and the furniture is crafted out of dark wood and soft furs. Sheepskin couches and armchairs surround a large grey stone fireplace, and a large forest green coloured fur rug adorns the stone floor.

The room that is connected through the archway is bright, its walls are painted white, and the floors are a dark wood. The bed is crafted out of fine wood, and the cream coloured linen is smooth and silky looking. A large wooden door opens up onto a balcony looking out onto the meadow, forest and lake, and the smells of fresh grass and wild flowers wafts into the room. Two other smaller doors break off into a change room, and a bathroom.

“Katniss you look like you are ready to rip a man’s head off,” Annie chimes, her wide green eyes staring at her questioningly.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that,” Johanna says, she picks at her nails and looks up to Katniss. “Any particular man for that matter?”

“Only a prince,” Katniss huffs, she makes her way over the couches and sits herself down next to Madge. The blond girl takes one of her hands, her pale skin contrasting with Katniss’s tanned skin.

“Would you like you talk about it Katniss?” Madge asks in a soft tone, her voice melodic like a harmony that she would play from her lute.

“I found that Delly girl walking out of Peeta’s chambers, with her hair wild, and her dress ruffled. When I walked past the door, Peeta stepped out and his belt was undone, and his shirt was untied.” Katniss recites in a steely tone.

“Perhaps they were playing hide and seek,” Johanna suggests, a menacing smile on her features.

“Don’t be bold,” scolds Annie, her hardening glare set on the brown-eyed woman.

“We’ll that’s too bad Katniss,” Prim says, she sits across from Katniss, and smiles, “I heard that there will be princes and lords from all over Panem at the wedding tonight, and apparently you have a line of suitors lining up to take you from prince Peeta.”

A small smile creeps onto Katniss’s lips, her grey eyes lock onto her younger sisters and she mischievously says, “Perhaps I can have a bit of fun with that.”


	3. Chapter 3

Soft music plays as Katniss enters the ballroom; people buzz around her, excited for princess Farina’s wedding. She was wed to a rich lord from district 3, he was at least 5 years her senior. The mood is vibrant, as people laugh, drink and dance; it is easy to decipher Capitol citizens from the districts, and they have more obscure apparel, with big wigs, heavy makeup, and bright clothing. The Districts citizens wear attire that represents their homeland.

Across the room from Katniss stands a man, he has a dark teal coat on, with matching breeches, a weaved brown belt sits on his waist, and his shirt is white and flows. He wears typical high brown boots, and golden chains and rings adorn him.

He makes eye contact with Katniss across the room, and smiles. She watches him make his way over to her, and he stops a meter short of her, to gallantly bow. “Queen Katniss,” The bronze haired man says, “It’s been a long time.”

“Prince Finnick,” Katniss smiles, looking into the green eyes of her old friend, “It’s has been a while.”

“Well yes, it has my lady.” Finnick agrees, his sea green eyes flashing along with his white smile. He adds suggestively, “I see you have grown into your _body._ ”

“Finnick!” Katniss gawks, laughter bubbling from her chest, “I see that your sense of humor has not dulled in these passing years. Why have you come here?”

Finnick out stretches his elbow and Katniss takes it, he leads her into the ballroom, “Well you know, _Royal_ business. My father wants me to find a rich wife, and since he found out you were here, he thought that perhaps I could steal you away from the future king of the Capitol.”

“So your father is proposing that I marry you?” questions Katniss. Finnick nods as an answer. The music slows, and people begin to clear out of the dancing sector; Finnick pulls Katniss into the middle of the empty space, and as the music begins to come to life, Katniss recognizes it as an old Seam song.

Finnick bows toward her and takes her hand, “My queen, may I have this dance?”

A smile blossoms on Katniss’s face, and she formally replies, “You may, Prince Finnick.”

They stand up straight and face each other, pressing their right hands together and begin to slowly walking in a circle. Katniss watches the handsome prince contentedly, his bronze skin, and sea green eyes captivating as ever. The face of the most compassionate man she’d ever met.

As they switch hands, Katniss thinks aloud, “I believe a life time with you Finnick Odair wouldn’t be a lifetime wasted.”

Finnick’s eyes flick to her. A large haughty smile stretches across his pink lips; he leans in and says in a seductive tone, “So you’re considering my proposal?”

“Perhaps,” Teases Katniss, “Prince Finnick, you may just find love yet.”

A tap on her shoulder pulls Katniss out of their conversation, she turns to find Annie smiling at her. “My Que- I mean Katniss,” She fumbles, “A Lord Cato is requesting to dance with you.”

“Thank you Annie,” Katniss replies taking her hand from Finnick’s and folding it in front of her. She turns to the prince beside her and suggests, “Perhaps you could take my place in this dance Annie.”

“I don’t thi-“

“Of course, I would never give up an opportunity to dance with a gorgeous lady.” Finnick effectively cuts Annie off; he bows and holds his hand out, “Lady Annie…”

“Cresta.”

“Lady Annie Cresta, may I please have this dance?”

“You may,” Annie blushes, taking his hand.

Katniss turns away and scans the crowd for Madge; she spots the blond and stalks over to her. Madge lights up at the sight of her, and asks, “Isn’t this just grand Katniss? We never celebrated anything like this in The Seam.”

“Well The Seam has never had expendable money, like The Capitol does.” Katniss replies, returning her friends smile. “I just think it’s a bit big for my fancy.”

Madge laughs, and nods her head, “You’ve always had a taste for small cozy gatherings. Continuing on, Lord Cato is waiting by the banquet table for you. But I can fetch him for you if you’d like.”

“I’ll be fine Madge, I would just like to have a wonder around.” Says Katniss, her eyes scanning the crowd. They land on King Snow and Queen Meredith sitting on their thrones, Snow watching the party with a arrogant expression; and Meredith with kind eyes.

Katniss runs her hands over her dress, it is a deep red with beading that looks like tendrils of fire rise up the fabric, they glisten with every movement. It falls past her ankles, the neck line cuts high up to her collarbones; the beaded sleeves reach her wrists and the back plunges down showing her bare back.

Cinna is the man that designed the dress for Katniss, when he heard of her return to court; he immediately began to work and made the gorgeous dress. Cinna has connections to Katniss’s uncle Haymitch.

Katniss walks around the gathering of people, bowing her head to those who greets her and politely avoiding any conversations about trade routes and alliances. This night is about the princess Farina, not her arrival.

As she nears the banquet table, someone steps in front of her; she looks up and finds a pair of black eyes staring down at her. “Hello there my Queen,” The persons gravelly voice greets. Her eyes finally pick up on the man staring down at her, his shaggy beard and braided blond hair. He bows gallantly, and smiles condescendingly, “I am Lord Cato, of the Luxury districts. Born in Region 2.”

Katniss smiles politely, trying to shake the feeling of uneasiness that is bubbling up inside her chest. She nods her head and greets, “It’s nice to meet you Lord Cato. I see you are enjoying the festivities that the Capitol has to offer.”

Cato looks down at the chalice he has in his hand, and he smirks, “More so now that I am in your company.”

“So what brings you here to the Capitol court?” asks Katniss, she steps to the side and picks up a small sugar coated biscuit, one with a dandelion intricately frosted onto it. The corner of her mouth twitches up into a smile, as she turns her attention back to the man in front of her.

“Well I need to make connections with The Seam,” Cato begins, his eyes wandering around the room, his tone flat and almost uninterested. His gaze lands back on her, and a brutish grin stretches across his mouth. “And perhaps to steal you from the prince.”

Katniss quirks her eyebrow and straightens her gait. “I find Lord Cato, that you have some competition on that matter.”

Cato’s grin stretches as he steps in closer, Katniss has the urge to step back, but holds herself back as Cato rakes his eyes over her. He says in a deep suggestive voice, “Well your Majesty, it’s good for you to know that I _always_ win.”

Katniss smiles uncomfortably, and turns her gaze away, biting into the frosted biscuit. Just as Cato leans in to say something, Prim skips up to Katniss with a beaming smile. “Katniss!” She calls in a singsong voice, she extends her hand to Katniss and nods her head towards the people dancing. “Johanna is asking the fiddler to play a tune from The Seam!”

Katniss smiles and takes her sisters out stretched hand. She looks over to Cato – an irritated expression on his face – and says, “Excuse me Lord Cato, my sister wants to dance.”

Katniss slips into the open space with her sister, leaving the Lord standing by himself. “Thank you Prim.” Katniss says.

“Johanna and I saw you looking uncomfortable, so she hatched a plan.” Prim replies with a devilish grin. “Let’s have some fun shall we?”

* * *

 

“Peeta, I want to dance!” Delly whines in his ear, her arms clutching to his coat sleeve. His eyes meet her pleading ones, and he shakes his head once.

“No Delly,” Peeta replies, his eyes moving to the doors of the ballroom. He hasn’t seen Katniss yet and he is getting anxious, since she found out about he and Delly, his stomach has been in knots. “I don’t feel like dancing. Delly would you mind fetching me a wine?”

“I would be glad to,” Delly grumps; she shoots him a stare and stomps of to the dining table.

Peeta spots Gale among the crowd, he is standing with one of Katniss’s ladies. Madge, he thinks her name was. He also finds Primrose talking to Johanna, another one of Katniss’s ladies.

The music slows, and the crowd parts, and Peeta sees Katniss for the first time as she moves to the dance space with a man. Peeta recognizes him, he’s not sure where from, but he knows his face. Katniss smiles at the man, a small laugh bubbling up from her chest, Peeta has to refrain himself from sighing; she is just too beautiful.

A heavy hand on his shoulder startles Peeta, he looks down at it and back up to it’s owner. Gale smugly smiles at him and loops his thumbs into his belt, “So brother, are you enjoying your sister’s wedding?”

Peeta steals a glance to the direction of where Katniss is dancing, and laughing with that man. He shrugs and then sighs, “I guess that I could at least try to enjoy it for Farina’s sake.” Peeta leans into his brother and mutters; “Katniss caught Delly leaving my room this afternoon.”

Gale’s dark eyebrows shoot up, and his smirk drops from his face. “Peeta!” He huffs dramatically, “Why would you do _that,_ when you know Katniss is in the castle?”

“I know Gale, I must apologi-“

Gale cuts him off, “Look brother, you are to be wed with this amazing, powerful, _goddess-looking_ woman and yet you go run away and hide with your plaything. I think you need to reassess your priorities.”

Peeta clenches his jaw, and shifts his stare back onto the ballroom floor, to find that Katniss has moved away. His eyes flick from person to person, until they land on Katniss. She talks with a tall blonde man with a beard; he wears all black and has a golden belt, signifying he’s from the luxury districts. Most likely from Region 2.

Peeta watches as the small blonde princess skips up to her sister, in her purple flowing dress and takes her hand, leading her into the center of the ballroom. He smiles as Katniss begins to dance with her sister.

Just at that moment Delly arrives back at his side, Peeta keeps his gaze on Katniss as Delly hands him a chalice of wine. She hisses, “Look at the Queen’s dress, look how it exposes her back! It’s incredibly scandalous for a Queen!”

“Hush Delly,” Peeta snaps irritated, his gaze flicking to her, “I think she looks amazing.”

Peeta hears his stepbrother snicker, as he stares wide-eyed at the bare expanse of Katniss’s back. Gale remarks, “Delly I would rather see Queen Katniss in that dress, than you in that pink abomination. _Really Delly_? Bows _and_ ruffles?”

Delly looks down at her modest bright pink dress, and she looks back up at Gale with a deathly glare. Peeta turns his attention back to Katniss, captivated by her gleaming smile. Her ladies create a circle, and they dance together while holding hands.

“I’m going to go dance,” Peeta says while handing his chalice to Gale, a sudden rush of confidence going through him. His brother pats him on the shoulder reassuringly.

“But Peeta I thought you would dance with me.” Delly pouts. Peeta begins to walk towards Katniss, his hands folded behind his back, and a small smile resting on his features.

Peeta hears faintly Gale’s smug reply to Delly, “Let him be Delly, he has to at least _talk_ with his future wife.”

Peeta steps are small and cautious as he makes his way towards her, his eyes never leaving her twirling form. He stops a few feet from her, her eyes catch his and she stops. Their gaze holding each other’s. Peeta feels as he’s gasping for air.

“So,” She begins venomously, raising her eyebrows. “I have seen that you have stopped skulking, and you are now at least _trying_ to enjoying your self.”

Peeta looks down to his boots as he brushes a hair out of his eyes warily. He answers, “I find it fitting that I apologize for this afternoon. Delly and I ar-“

“Peeta it is none of my business to what your love life is. Our engagement is simply an alliance, a strategic move for my District.” Katniss cuts him off effectively, she smiles almost happily, “Though I already have received a few more proposals over the night.”

Peeta’s eyebrows shoot up and a pang of jealousy courses through his chest. Of course Katniss would have men lining up to wed her, but Peeta didn’t expect the bluntness in her confession.

They stand there staring daggers at each other, in the middle of the dancing forms. Old folky music resonances around them as they stare down each other, he can see the tension in her eyes loosen, and a small smile creep onto her lips. Some bickering takes them out of their stare-down. Peeta turns to find Delly staring angrily at him, and Gale chucking beside her, shaking his head. Peeta forces the smile on his lips away, and he turns back to Katniss.

“Well, My queen,” he begins formally, trying to ease the tension between them. Smiling down at her he says, “We could try at least being friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes friends. Or acquaintances. Which ever you like.”

“And what would being a friend entail?” She queries, a mischievous grin creeps onto her lips. Her swirling grey eyes staring up at him.

“Well, friends like to dance with one another.” Peeta says. He extends his calloused hand towards her, with a gallant bow he asks, “May I have this dance, my Queen?”

Her fingers brush his hand, and a feeling of warmth rushes from the point of contact. She beams up at him, and places her hand in his. He pulls her towards him and they begin to slowly dance together, far enough apart to be comfortable, but not far enough to not see the freckles on her nose.

“Since we are now _friends_ , you may call me just Katniss.” She says as they sway along to the melody.

“Well _just_ Katniss, you are an excellent dancer.” Peeta jests, earning a smirk from her. He’s instantly aware of everything about her, the arch of her eyebrows, the low handing eyelashes, how her lips slightly purse, and the way her dark hair falls around her face. And her eyes – _god her eyes_ \- the molten silver that looks like windows to her soul.

“Thank you…. Bread Boy.”

Peeta places his hand on her bare lower back and he instantly feels heat radiate from her body. Her skin is smooth and coursed, little bumps and scars trace her back. Giving her much more character to her, than her personality.

“Bread Boy?” Peeta questions.

Katniss giggles. Actually _giggles._ “Well I saw you baking earlier today. And you carry the smell of freshly baked bread.”

“Bread boy it is then.” Peeta decides, smiling down at the beautiful woman before him.

 _Just perhaps,_ he muses to himself, his eyes locked with hers, _that this arrangement might not be the worst thing in my life._

* * *

 

The sounds of the party echoes off of the stonewalls of the corridor. Prim looks behind her, checking that no one has noticed her absence; her light footsteps carry down the stone stairs at the far end of the Castle. The eastern wing is used for servants, and the kitchens.

Prim comes to a wooden door, her stomach tightens with anticipation as she slowly pushes it open; letting bursts of golden light stream through into the dark corridor. An array of aromas inundates her senses as she steps into the kitchen. Prim’s favourite part of growing up in the Seam was looking at the cakes that were made. She would sit down with their main cook, and watch as she would frost and create incredible masterpieces.

Prim nervously twirls the end of her hair, her footsteps almost silent as she creeps towards the table. Her blue eyes fall upon a grand looking cake, with pink hydrangeas and daisies; vines also creep up the sides, and they have deep red roses that dot the leaves.

Prim’s eyes skim the beautifully frosted designs; she finds a stool and sits her self down, letting herself admire the sweets for longer. Until the a large bang brings her out of her revere, Prim shoots up and looks to where the racket came from.

A metal bucket rolls towards her, seed pouring out of it. Prim quirks her head and moves toward the bucket, a sense of nervous confusion setting on her shoulders. She looks down at the seed; it looks to be food for horses. She gazes back up to a shelf that is stacked with goods, and walks around it, she clenches her hands tightly together, anxious for what she will find.

The golden light of the blazing ovens pick up on a figure, a tall and broad one at that. Light dances across their dark skin, and ragged clothing. Prim can feel the unease in her chest, holding her in place. But her curiosity gets the better of her.

“Who are you?” Prim asks in a surprisingly strong tone.

A deep voice answers, “I’m just a stable boy, your highness.”

They shift uneasily on their feet, and she watches as the dim light reflects off of his eyes. Prim smiles and asks, “Would you mind showing yourself?”

“No-not at all,” The large figure warily steps towards her, their movement stiff. The lights casts wholly onto his body, letting Prim see him fully. He’s a tall dark-skinned boy; his wide uncertain brown eyes stare back at her. Prim notices how high his cheekbones are, and how plump his lips are. Her eyes shift down to his arms, which ripple when he rings his hands together.

Prim’s eyes meet his once more, and she says, “I’m Primrose.”

“I know.” The boy answers, the tension in his eyes softening, a small smile inching onto his lips.

“And you are?”

“I-I am Thresh, your majesty.” He answers, his voice quivering.

Prim looks to the cakes that sit on the table, and she smiles. She makes her way over to the table and sits back down on the stool, and watches as Thresh quietly follows her. “So,” She begins, his eyes snapping back to her. “Did you do these cakes?”

“No,” Thresh answers curtly, his tone soft. “The prince spent all last night finishing these for his sisters wedding.”

“Really?” Prim questions, her gaze once again on her colorful frosting. “They are amazing.”

“I admire Prince Peeta for this,” Thresh says, stepping closer to the table. And to Prim. She stares at him, wondering his age; she is to be sixteen in a few short months. His dark brown eyes tracing the vines that climbs up the cake.

“How old are you Thresh?” Prim asks, her curiosity getting the best of her once again.

Thresh gawks at her for a second, he quickly shuts his mouth and replies, “I am to be seventeen in the spring.”

“And do you have family?” She pushes, resting her chin in her hand. She doesn’t know why, but she finds this stable boy incredibly interesting. Her mind goes fuzzy looking at him.

“I have an older brother, and three younger sisters.” He answers, his gaze settling onto the stone ground. “They all live in the Farming Districts, Region 11.”

“I think I remember you,” Prim smiles, his eyes lock with hers. “You helped with the horses when I arrived this morning.”

Thresh smiles, letting his lips stretch across his slightly yellowed teeth. “Yes I did, your majesty.”

“I quite like horses,” She chimes, her hands running over her dress. “Perhaps you could show me the stables one time Thresh.”

His eyes widen, and he nods happily. A feeling of warmth washes over her, as she watches the boy. She smiles kindly at him and looks down at her hands. She hears him quietly say, “I would like that.”

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games Series or Reign, direct quotes direct quotes will be used.**

* * *

It has been the first time in weeks that Katniss has been hunting; the castle seems so suffocating sometimes, despite the size of it all. The forest is lively, with the golden rays of sunlight bursting through the canopy, and the smell of damp grass and wood overcoming her senses.

She moves gracefully through the undergrowth, her hunting pants giving her more freedom to move. Katniss had a pair made for hunting when she was at the convent; they’re a fine material that doesn’t tear and are thermal. If she were to be seen in pants people would be shocked, so that’s why she slipped out just before dawn, with her rucksack and her bow and arrows. She also wears a light airy green blouse and her father’s hunting cloak.

The forest is the most calming place in the Kingdom of the Capitol, Katniss has decided. The bustle of court holds too much drama, whereas the forest is like a soft lullaby. Also this forest doesn’t have a certain blue-eyed prince wondering around.

After setting up snares for tomorrow and shooting two plump rabbits, four fat squirrels, a turkey, and gathering some greens; Katniss decides to head back up to the castle. Tucking her quiver of arrows and her bow under her cloak, she treks back to the edge of the forest. The sun is almost touching its peak, so she guesses it would be around ten. Katniss ducks under an over growth of trees and searches for any guards.

With the meadow clear she hurriedly walks across to the side of the castle, just next to the guard barracks. Katniss can just see the door when a voice stops her, “Hey!”

She huffs and turns to the person concealing her face with the hood of her cloak. Her eyes catch sight of Gale briskly striding towards her, his hand resting on his sword hilt and his boots hitting the grass loudly. “This place is off limits,” He stops a few meters from her, and she watches his eyes drop to the turkey hanging from her belt. “Hunting is illegal on Royal grounds… wait is that the Queens cloak?”

Katniss turns to leave with a roll of her eyes, but Gale’s hand grabs her arm. “Answer me! Or I’ll have you beheaded!”

“Gale!” Katniss hisses, his grip dropping from her bicep. She throws the hood back, and looks at him quizzically, “Why would you have me beheaded?”

He lets go of her, and backs away, his eyes startled. He begins to ramble, “My Queen! I mean Katniss! I-I am so very s-sorry, I didn’t mean to say I’ll have you beheaded!”

Katniss chuckles at Gale’s attempt, she consoles, “Gale be quiet. It’s fine I was only jesting.”

His face drops from its distraught expression; he smiles and presses a hand to his forehead. Gale shakes his head and says in a huff of breath, “My Queen, you are bold.”

Katniss smiles happily, she plays with the strap of her game bag and looks down at the grass. She hears a low whistle from Gale, he asks, “How did you get that turkey?”

She looks down at the bird hanging from her belt, and replies, “I shot it.”

“With what?”

“My bow and arrows.”

“Did the bird walk over your toes?” Gale asks condescendingly, he folds his arms over his chest, and raises his dark brows. Katniss looks at him shocked, her chest feeling tight with annoyance; she shakes her head and waves him off.

“I don’t have time for your rude remarks, Gale Hawthorne.” As Katniss turns to leave, he grabs her wrist, his grip surprisingly tender. Katniss looks back at him, and finds his silvery eyes pleading with her. When Katniss first met Gale when she was small, she thought they could have been related, with their matching dark hair, tanned skin and grey eyes. But she decided that they could have never been related because of his attitude.

“I am truly sorry, Katniss. I just have a cynical sense of humour,” Gale appeals. He lets her hand go and looks to the door behind her, “I guess I should let you go.”

Katniss stares at him, his cheekbones, his sunken eyes, his heavy brow, and his pursed lips. He is a very handsome man. She breathes out slightly, and says, “I shot the bird right through the eye from thirty yards away, I have two fat rabbits I caught in a simple snare and the squirrels were in trees that were at lest fifteen feet tall, I also shot them right through the eyes.”

Gale looks at her in disbelief, and a small laugh emits from his chest. He looks at her cheerfully, and says, “Well then, you’ll have to show me.”

Katniss laughs and replies, “Okay, I was just going to the kitchens to gut the game, care to join me?”

“I would love to.” He answers happily; he looks down at her with a boyish grin. As they begin to walk towards the eastern wing, Gale queries, “So what is it with you and my brother? It seems you have forgiven him, a little too easily.”

Katniss raises her eyebrows and replies, “Revenge takes time Gale, I’m still angry at him for sleeping with Delly, and while I’m in court no less. Is she even eligible for the throne?”

“No,” Gale answers, “Delly is one of Queen Meredith’s lady’s daughters, she should be marrying lords from other districts to make alliances for The Capitol. But she is fooling around with Peeta.”

“Well…” Katniss trails of, she sets her jaw and keeps her gaze on the stone castle before her. “I guess the retaliation can be unpredicted, and Peeta won’t like it.”

Gale laughs heartily, “I like the sound of that.”

* * *

Peeta knocks on the heavy wooden door, and leans in, hoping to hear anything come from the room inside. He looks to the guard beside him and smiles. The Seam guards always intimidated Peeta; they looked like savage warriors with their shiny coal black armour, and the blood red armbands they wore. The Mockingjay pressed into the chest plate is what represents the Everdeen Royal family, that’s their family crest.

“May I ask,” Peeta begins, the red headed guard looks over to him, his dark green eyes widening. “Is the Queen in there?”

“No, your majesty.” He answers in a gravelly voice. “Queen Katniss left early this morning, and hasn’t returned.”

Peeta looks at him quizzically, “Shan’t you be worrying?”

“No, my lord,” The guard smiles, Peeta is utterly confused by his lack of concern. “Queen Katniss always escapes to be by her self.”

“What is your name?”

“Darius, my lord.”

“Darius, what if she gets injured?” Peeta asks worriedly. “What if she were to get lost?”

“Prince Peeta, The Queen can handle herself.” Darius states; a grin stretching across his pale features.

Peeta nods, suddenly feeling foolish. _Of course_ Katniss would be able to handle herself, she told him that she could hit a squirrel in the eye from thirty yards away. He thanks Darius, and makes his way back to the front of the castle, as he exits the main doors he covers his eyes from the sun.

Peeta walks the perimeter of the castle, looking for his soon to be wife. He knew it was a bad idea to ask her to spend some time together, his father had suggested it, and a sinking feeling started in his chest. When he passes the kitchens and stables, he hears laughing.

Peeta walks around the corner, and sees Gale skinning a fat rabbit, and someone sitting next to him with their back to Peeta. He walks to them, and greets, “Gale, how are you today?”

His brother’s grey eyes shift to him, and a roguish smile spreads across his face, “Prince Peeta! I am _very_ well, and how are you?”

“I am quite well thank you very much,” Peeta answers cheerfully, but he can’t quite understand the malicious tone in his brothers voice, and his use of the word _‘Prince’_. Peeta shifts his gaze to the person sitting next to Gale, he asks them both, “Have you seen Kat-“

Peeta stops mid sentence when the other person turns around, and his eyes lock with swirling silver. “-niss.”

“Hello, Peeta.” Katniss smiles sweetly, he watches her carefully. After the wedding she had fled to her room, even though he felt confident that she had forgiven him; there was a lingering feeling that she was still angry. Now a week later – with no interaction – it was obvious that she still held resentment.

“My Queen.” He acknowledges breathlessly, “How have you been?”

Katniss wipes the blood and guts off of her hands onto her pants. Peeta has never seen a lady in pants, besides guards of course. “I am great actually,” Katniss answers, her eyes glinting, “I went hunting this morning, and then your brother here offered to help me skin the game I caught.”

“That sounds… fun,” Peeta says weakly, his blue eyes looking to Gale for help. His brother just shrugs. Peeta clears his throat and straightens his gait, “Katniss, I was hoping that we could spend some time together, this afternoon, perhaps in the meadow. Get to know each other better.”

Katniss nods slightly, and then looks down at her dirty hunting gear. “Would you mind Peeta, if I got changed into better attire?”

“N-no, not at all,” Peeta stutters, Katniss smiles once more and rises from her spot. As she walks off she hangs her game bag on a hook, and puts her cloak on. Peeta sighs heavily and rakes a hand through his golden curls.

“Well that went better than I expected,” Gale chimes; Peeta can hear the smile in his voice.

“Hush Gale,” He snaps, he sits himself down next to his brother. “Father said I must spend more time with her, so here I am.”

Gale puts his blood stained hands up and shakes his head, “Who am I to impose on that? Katniss was just telling me you two _need_ to spend more time together.”

Peeta nods, and looks down at the animal guts in the bucket at his feet. He can feel the bile mounting in his throat, and he rises from his seat. “I should prepare a picnic, I have some fresh bread and pastries in the kitchen, and there are some berries and sweets I can take.”

Peeta leaves his brother with a curt nod, and walks through the back door of the kitchen. The servants greet him with a soft murmur, and he smiles to them all, greeting them all by name. He wraps his freshly baked fruit and nut bread, and places it in a wicker basket, he also takes a punnet of assorted berries, sliced apples and some wrapped goats’ cheese. He finds his sugar coated biscuits, and pastries and places them into the basket with everything else.

Peeta finds a sheep skin mat and tucks it under his arm, as he turns to leave, someone places a dark green bottle and the two cups in the basket. He looks up to find Ripper looking at him with a suggestive smile. “For you and your lady,” She says in her hoarse voice.

Peeta smiles at her, and looks back down at the bottle of fine red wine. “Thank you Ripper, Katniss will love this.”

The old woman nods and goes back to her bench; Peeta says his goodbyes and heads out the door and towards the meadow.

* * *

 

The sound of heels clacking against marble surface is the only sound Delly can hear as she makes her way to the gardens. It is a rare occasion when Queen Meredith asks to speak with her, but they both have a mutual caring for Peeta, so they could at least stand each other.

The two Capitol guards dressed in sterling silver armour opens the glass doors for her, both bowing their heads. Delly smiles smugly and waltzes in, not giving the men a second glance; she _is_ practically Royalty. The smell of roses rises up around her as she ventures farther into the garden; this is where the Queen always has her tea.

As Delly rounds a corner she finds the Queen sitting in a plush arm chair, and a set of china laid out before her. Queen Meredith catches sight of her and gestures to the identical chair opposite her. “Delly,” The Queen greets, “Take a seat.”

She lowers herself down onto the plush couch and smiles, “Hello My Queen. Why is it that you have called me today?”

“Women can have tea civilly together can’t they?” Meredith replies, her cold blue eyes staring at Delly intently, the older woman sips her tea and places it back down on her saucer.

“Yes they can, My Queen.” Delly says nervously, she can’t help but be suspicious to the circumstances of this meeting. A servant pours some tea into her cup, and she places three lumps of sugar and milk in it.

As Delly stirs it, she can hear Meredith draw out a long breath. “Delly,” The Queen begins, making her eyes snap up to her, “You do realise that it is in your position that you have to marry for alliance, correct?”

Delly nods and narrows her eyes, finally realising the reason behind the meeting. “That is correct, my Queen.”

“I’m happy you know that.” Meredith says, picking up a sugared biscuit. It has a white flower iced onto it, with dark green leaves and an orange centre. “Did you know that Peeta iced these?” Asks the Queen in a condescending tone; she turns it over in her skinny fingers.

Delly shifts in her seat, and swallows, trying to get the lump out of her throat. “No I wasn’t aware.” Meredith’s eyes then shift to her, and bore into her skin. Delly can feel a nervous heat waft through her body.

“My boy is very talented, is he not?”

“He his your majesty.”

“A kind hearted boy, he will make an excellent king.” Meredith places the biscuit back down and sweeps a stray piece of blond hair from her eyes. “It’s a shame you want him to stop doing what he loves.”

“I-I would nev-“

“I hear what I want to hear Delly,” Meredith cuts her off with a wave of her hand. “Peeta will make an excellent King, no matter if he can craft a sword or frost an intricate flower. It just matters if you believe in him.”

For the first time ever Delly is speechless in the presence of the Queen, when it comes to Meredith she always has had a snarky come back. Delly takes a sip of her sweet tea to avoid any unwanted tension. When she sets it down and clears her throat, she replies, “My Queen, I think that Peeta should distance him self from the arts, and should focus on hunting and smithing. Just like Gale.”

“Peeta is _not_ Gale, if you have not noticed,” Meredith spits, the Queen clenches her jaw and leans in a tad closer, “My boy does not have one cruel bone in his body, but it seems that it is your goal to break every one of his bones, as well as his heart.”

“I am not!” Delly exclaims infuriated, she quickly realises her tone and settles back into the chair. “It is not my intention to hurt Peeta.”

“By fooling around with him, you are damaging his chance of getting married. The only reason more suitors have arrived, is because they have heard of your trysts; and it jeopardises his chances with Katniss.” Queen Meredith counters, Delly can now feel the anger rise up in her, the queen has no right to speak to her like this.

“Peeta wants me to become his mistress,” Delly smugly says, taking a bite of a sugared biscuit. “We decided this years ago.”

“When a King has a mistress they are viewed as weak. That is why there was a revolution in the Cultivation Districts, and how The Seam came to be.” Meredith snaps, her eyes cast out onto the sloping fields before them. They have a view of the meadow, the crystal blue lake, and the forest beyond them. “My son will be seen as weak with you by his side. His reputation will not be tarnished by a Royalty imitator.”

Delly gasps, she looks at the queen viciously, and can feel her face go red in rage. She looks out on the meadow beyond, and spots a blond head. She watches Peeta walk to the point where the forest, meadow and lake meet. A gorgeous spot when the sun is just setting.

He lays a large mat out and sets down a basket, she also spots a raven-haired girl move towards him. She is clothed in a bright orange dress, and her hair is twisted up into an elegant bun. Delly realises its Katniss, and the breath leaves her lungs.

Meredith must have seen because she hums happily, Delly shifts her gaze back to the Queen and exhales sharply, “I am still wondering why you want me here.”

Meredith smiles and quirks a blonde brow at her, “You are to be out of the Castle by the end of the week. I have arrangements for you in a Lords castle in the Seam, where the rumours of your infidelities have not reached.”

Delly stares at Meredith in shock, her mouth hangs open, and tears threaten to fall from her eyes. She slumps in her seat and stares down at her hands, she looks back up to the Queen and spits, “I hate you, I hate Katniss. Your son will never love her, because he has always loved me, and you can’t live with that. You must know that Peeta will not ever agree to this. I _will_ tell him and he will hate you for this.”

Meredith smiles callously, she smooths her hands over her Royal blue dress, and states nonchalantly, “I know my son is already in love with Katniss.”

“I-“

“He came to me that night, and described her in exquisite detail, the way a true artist would. He told me about her hair, her eyes, her smile, and the freckles that dotted her nose for goodness sake. He said that he had fallen in love with her when she began to sing, and exclaimed that he didn’t want to wait ten years to be wed. It broke his heart when she left, but I doubt his heart will even crack when you leave, there will be no loss for there is too much to gain

“You will leave this castle, you will be out of the way, and if you tell Peeta any of this, you are sacrificing a member of your family. Understand?”

Delly freezes, her eyes widen and a chill runs down her spine. Meredith dismisses her with a wave of her hand, exclaiming that this ‘tea’ is over.

Delly leaves the garden, and heads for her chambers with rage compelling her forward, thinking of ways to assassinate the next Queen of The Capitol.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games Series or Reign. Direct quotes will be used**

* * *

 

Katniss and Annie slowly walk across the gardens, their dresses brushing the gravel path, their soft voices filling the air with conversation. It has been a long time since they have had time alone together, just to share their feelings and thoughts of their time in the castle. It had nearly two weeks since her arrival, and Katniss has been on an emotional journey already.

Since her little ‘date’ with Peeta, her feelings towards him have changed, from wanting revenge to almost admiration. He was so open and raw towards her, his wit and cute joking. She watched his golden curls fall in his face, and how his blond lashes were aglow in the light. And his eyes, _wow his eyes,_ they were captivating, glittering in the afternoon sun.

“Do you have a fondness to Peeta?” Annie questions with a raising eyebrow, her lips pulling into a smirk. Annie has seemed happier in her time at the castle, Katniss believes that castle life suits her.

Katniss bumps her shoulder with Annie, and shrugs, “I’m not entirely sure, Peeta _is_ charming, it is that he is occupied elsewhere, he shares feelings for another.” Annie sighs, and links her arm with Katniss’s; they chatter on about the castle, Katniss avoiding any more talk of her fiancé.

A figure walks towards them, a man from his appearance, with bronze hair and a breezy top. “Finnick.” Annie greets, Katniss thinks she spots a light blush on her friend’s nose. “Prince Finnick I-I mean.”

“Annie,” Finnick greets with a dazzling smile, his sea green eyes sweeping over her gracefully. He then turns to Katniss and bows dramatically, “My queen, how are you on this fine day?”

Katniss looks up at the overcast sky and quirks a dark brow, she shifts her gaze back to Finnick and replies, “I am well in the company of my lady, and Annie and I were having a quite nice conversation.”

Finnick smirks, “Well I am terribly sorry to interrupt.”

“It’s no worry,” Annie quickly adds, her bright eyes lighting up, her blush deepening. Katniss smiles, watching her friends attempt to flirt. “Katniss and I were only making small talk.”

Katniss detaches herself from Annie, sensing that it was time she leaves. She bows her head respectively, and says, “Queen Meredith asked me to meet her in the throne room, and so I will leave you two to your own bidding.”

“Au revoir, my queen,” Finnick smiles sending her a wink. Annie beams, and bids Katniss a goodbye, silently thanking her with her eyes.

Katniss turns away and makes her way back into the castle, her tread almost silent as she navigates her way to the throne room. She stops, sensing someone’s presence, and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Katniss looks around and finds a pair of pale blue eyes staring at her, “Delly.”

Delly steps out from the corner, and bows her head respectively, “Good Morning my Queen.”

“Good morning to you too Delly,” Katniss smiles, her nerves settling back down, it was just the woman sleeping with her fiancé. “How have you been? I heard you are leaving for the Seam; I can help you with your accommodation if need be.”

“I’ve been fine,” Delly’s back straightens and her eyes narrow on Katniss, “Queen Meredith has already set my up with accommodation with Lord Thom of The Slag Heap.”

Katniss snickers, making Delly agitated, she composes herself and says, “The Slag Heap is just a alias for The Sweeping Hills, Lord Thom’s family runs the main smelting company for The Seam; they refine the coal, it usually comes out in large slag heaps.”

“Oh,” Delly looks down, her pale hands wringing together, “I should have asked… Any who, I must be off, I have… business to attend to.” She scurries off, leaving Katniss to shrug and continue on her way to the throne room.

As she nears the large doors to the throne room, she can hear soft music playing and laughter. Katniss enters the large room, taking in the dark marble floors, high-beamed ceilings, and stonewalls. Large white banners hang around the room, with bright red roses painted in the middle. Katniss finds Meredith sitting down on a plush looking chair, with a group of oddly dressed woman. _Capitolites,_ Katniss thinks to herself as she shakes her head slightly.

Meredith catches sight of her and smiles, holding her hand up and waving her over. As Katniss approaches them, Meredith greets, “Katniss! You look lovely today!”

Katniss looks down at her soft yellow dress; it is hemmed to brush against her ankles, and has lace sleeves. The neck cuts modestly across her chest in a straight line. She smiles back up at the queen, and says, “Thank you My Queen, you also look ravishing.”

Meredith smile grows and pats to the spot beside her, “Sit, my girl, enjoy your time.”

Katniss sits next to the Queen and looks around at the women surrounding her, they all have oddly coloured makeup on, bright pinks and reds, to deep purples and oranges. There are a couple of normal looking women, one with dark hair and dark eyes, and the other with white-blonde hair and plain blue eyes.

The blonde woman stares at her with a malicious glare, her lips pouting in disapproval. Katniss has seen her face before, but she is not sure where. They all introduce them selves, _Alba Brera, Cassia Girel, Livia Skeren, Maximiliana Aund, Septima Hulrel, Pia Thorrick._ It’s when they get to the blonde woman does Katniss recognise her, she bows her head and says, “I am Caliga Cartwright… your grace.”

Katniss smiles, and bows her head in greeting, she asks, “So Delly is _your_ daughter then?”

Caliga nods, her eyes narrowing just like Delly’s do. “You know my daughter?”

“Yes… I met Delly the first day I arrived, she was on Peeta’s arm the whole time, how could I miss her?” Katniss replies, her tone almost snappy, if the nuns heard her they would be absolutely dismayed. _But the nuns aren’t here,_ Katniss thinks boldly to herself.

Caliga’s eyes widen and she opens her mouth to retaliate, when Meredith just cuts in, “So Katniss, how are you with Peeta? He told me your picnic was quite pleasant.”

Katniss feels her cheeks heat up, she looks down at her hands and smiles shyly. A feeling of fluttering starts in her chest and spreads out through her arms. “Peeta…” Katniss trails off, the women around her lean in, like a bunch of young girls rather than ladies. She continues, “Peeta tried his upmost best, and it was very enjoyable, the meadow is just lovely.”

Meredith smiles almost triumphantly; her eyes flicker over to Caliga who has focused her eyes on the stained glass window above them. Katniss nods and then changes the conversation to flowers, the woman chat on and on about different bouquets, colours and flower arrangement. Katniss has to stifle yawns.

Katniss is broken from her daze when Meredith finally says, “Well ladies, I think that it is time you all retire for lunch, I have some words to speak with the queen before Peeta has lunch with her.”

The ladies all nod, and give both her and Meredith gracious goodbyes. Caliga stops before leaving, and quickly says, “My Queen Meredith, I would like to request to talk to you in private.”

Meredith’s eyes narrow, and a tight smile forms on her lips, she replies, “Okay Caliga, I must have a meeting with my future daughter in law.” Caliga smiles curtly, and abruptly leaves.

“Delly is exactly like her mother,” Katniss comments, her voice small, afraid to offend the Queen. She twiddles her thumbs.

Meredith lets out a harsh laugh and waves her hand, “You mean both entitled? My mother made me keep Caliga, she was in line to be wed to Cornelius as well but my family was wealthier; therefore leaving me to deal with this incompetent brat as a lady.”

Katniss conceals a smile, shaking her head, “We shouldn’t talk like this, it’s very ill of me.”

Meredith smiles kindly, she places her hand on top of Katniss’s. She notices the small callouses on the palm of the older woman’s hand, and feels the touch of her smooth golden rings. “Katniss,” Meredith says softly, “You will be an excellent queen for the Capitol, and you are perfect for my son. You both have such pure hearts.”

Katniss smiles, and feels heat rise in her cheeks once again. “Thank you Meredith, that means a lot.”

“Any who, on to business.” Meredith says, she stands and gestures for Katniss to rise, and so she does. “My girl, Snow has been pestering me that you need _queen training_ , so I thought I would teach you a small lesson.”

Meredith turns to Katniss and pushes her shoulders back a tad, straightening her back; she also hooks a finger under Katniss’s chin and tilts her head upwards, “The aim is to look as rigid as possible, it shows no weak spot. When you walk you don’t want people making snide comments, so you must have a face of malicious intent.”

“So how would I look like I have a malicious intent?” Katniss questions.

“You look forward, with your chin up and think… ‘ _Murder’.”_ Meredith says, she demonstrates by gliding forward with a rigid stance, her hands folded together and her chin up. Katniss notices the small smirk on her lips; she now understands the intimidation of the Queen’s expression.

Katniss mimics Meredith’s expression, and slowly glides with her head up and back straight. Meredith smiles, and nods acceptingly, “Wonderful Katniss.”

Loud clapping sounds from the doors of the room, Katniss turns and finds Snow and Peeta entering the throne room. Snow opens his arms wide, letting the purple cloak he has on fall from his wrists and the silver trim to glint in the light. “Queen Katniss… Meredith.”

“Snow,” Meredith greets, her tone gone firm and her expression irritated.

“Good Morning my King,” Katniss bows her head politely and drops into a curtsy, and smiles warily, not liking the way Snow rakes his eyes over her.

“I would like to talk to you Meredith,” Snow takes his eyes off of Katniss, and turns his attention to the older woman next to her. “It’s a pressing issue.”

Meredith excuses herself, and then flees the room behind Snow. Leaving Katniss and Peeta standing across from together. Awkwardly.

“So Katniss,” Peeta says, his voice trembling somewhat; he scratches the back of his neck, “I was hoping that we could once again, go down to the meadow.”

Katniss smiles, and nods her head, “That would be delightful Peeta, when would you like to go?”

“Now.”

* * *

 

Peeta watches Katniss with rapt attention as she weaves the stems of daisies together, creating a chain. He has his sketchpad in his lap, and his charcoal at the ready, waiting for the perfect moment for him to begin sketching her. She tucks a dark lock of hair behind her ear and bites her lip as she adds another daisy to the chain.

Peeta feels his hand begin to draw the smooth lines of her face, he sticks the tip of his tongue out as he goes into more detail, capturing every freckle and blemish on her face, making her look like an angel. He had never drawn anyone before, he had once asked Delly if he could sketch her, but all he got was insults and a sore cheek.

His movements still when he hears a small hum comes from her, it’s a quite familiar tune, perhaps one she sang to him when they were younger. His eyes skim over her features, her dark brows, her long eyelashes, the dusting of freckles on her sloping nose, and her plump lips. Her eyes meet his and they crinkle up as she smiles at him, Peeta says huskily, “I remember that song.”

“My father used to sing it to me before he died,” Katniss smiles wistfully, looking like she is lost in thought. Peeta remembers hearing the news of King David, _a fire,_ his father had said, _trapped in the mine._ He was with Katniss, when he looked at her, her big eyes were filled with tears, and it looked as is she was broken. She left a week later to live at the convent when they found it was an assassination from one of their enemy districts.

Katniss picks up the tune, and her soft voice rings out through the crisp air. “ _Deep in the meadow, under the willow.”_ And just like that, Peeta knew he was a goner. Just like when he was five. His whole body relaxes has her voice surrounds him, he lays back next to her, watching as she continues to weave daisies as she sings. He tucks his hands under his head, and feels his eyes fall shut.

Images of a little girl running through a meadow floods his mind, and he realises that it’s Katniss, a memory of her in the Seam when he came to visit when they were nine. He remembers her laughter and her smile, and how she would hike her dress up and race through the tall grass with him trailing behind her. Peeta feels himself smile, and lets out a deep breath.

A pair of delicate fingers caress the curls around his forehead, making him shiver, he cracks an eye open and finds Katniss looking down at him with wide eyes, he smiles shyly at her and says, “hello.”

“Hi,” Katniss replies, her voice almost silent. Just as Peeta begins to talk she leans down and presses her lips to his, her fingers tangling in with his curls. Peeta lets out a surprised gasp, his eyes opening wide to find Katniss’s closed ones. He melts into the kiss, sitting up on his elbows, and reaching up to caress her cheek.

A feeling of energy runs through him, his body buzzing with anticipation. Katniss lies down next to him; one of her hands resting over his – extremely fast beating – heart, and the other tickles the nape of his neck. He breaks away and stares at her in awe, watches as her eyes flutter open and her brows furrow in. She breathes in quickly and sits up, holding a hand to her chest. “Oh my.”

Peeta sits up, and rests his hand over hers, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest. A feeling of delight rushes over him, that she maybe feels the same way. Peeta pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, and holds her cheek in his hand.

Katniss opens and closes her mouth, as if she is about to say something. After a moment of her stalling, she finally lets out, “Wow.”

Peeta nods dumbly and smiles so broad that his cheeks hurt, “I know… wow.”

“I’ve never been kissed before,” Katniss says quietly. Peeta runs his thumbs over her bottom lip, and stares into her swirling grey eyes.

“I’ve never been kissed either.”

Katniss looks at him dumbly, “Delly.”

“Oh! Delly,” Peeta exclaims, receiving an eye roll and a scoff from Katniss. He settles down once more, and says softly, “I may have been kissed before, but not once like that.”

She lets a smile grace her features and reaches out to place her hand on his chest, over his heart. She leans in once more and presses her soft lips against his.

When they break apart, she leans her forehead against his, and lightly traces his lips with her fingers, “Me neither.”

 

* * *

Delly walks out of her mother’s quarters huffing and stomping, her feisty attitude getting the better of her. It had been a long day, planning of ways for her to stay, but not one good idea had popped into her head. So all she did was skulk around in her mother’s room, complaining about the Queen. Any talk like that could result in her banishment, but her mother’s quarters are located high up in the castle away from the buzz of the court.

Delly walks towards the ladies quarters, the place in which the women of the castle can sit and converse, usually used by the Queen and her ladies. It was her mother that suggested that she get cosy with Katniss; perhaps learn a few secrets that could eventually be the young queen’s undoing.

She enters the room, and finds Katniss and her ladies lounging around on the daybeds, all teasing and laughing, throwing banter between one another. Delly only has had a few close friends in her lifetime, they all left for the Luxury districts when she was twelve; therefore leaving her alone in this large expanse of a castle; and then she met Peeta, a weak boy who enjoyed painting and baking, so Delly thought she could take it upon herself to teach him to be the man that a Queen would desire in a King. But it was only when she was sixteen that she considered becoming his Queen, be it that he was engaged or not.

Delly sits in a windowsill close to the girls, hoping that perhaps one of the girls would invite her over to converse, and close enough to hear every bit of conversation. She picked up on the conversation when she heard Katniss exclaim, “I am supposed to be mad at him!”

Delly looks over and finds the queen with her blushing face in her hands, shaking her head. The girls giggle, Prim clasping her hands together and sighing, “Do you think he loves you Katniss?” _Who’s he?_ Delly thinks.

Katniss looks up to her sister and shrugs, “I’m not sure… it happened so fast.”

“Tell us Katniss,” the other blond girl says. _Madge_ , Delly thinks.

“Oh please do tell.” The green-eyed girl chimes. _Annie Cresta,_ Delly recalls her from the ball.

Katniss smiles mischievously at Annie and replies, “Only if you tell us about Finnick.”

“Deal.”

“Peeta brought me down to the meadow once again,” Katniss begins. Delly quirks an eyebrow and leans in closer as Katniss recalls her afternoon with her fiancé. “We talked and ate for awhile and then I began making a daisy chain, and he began sketching on his pad, and then out of no where I began humming, I don’t know why.” Delly holds herself back from a bark of laughter, who doesn’t hum?

“He told me he remembered the song, and then I began singing, and I couldn’t stop, and I felt so… _free_. Like the only thing there was Peeta, I and the daisies around us, nothing else in the world.” Katniss rushes, wringing her hands together, “He laid back on the blanket and let his eyes shut, and he looked to peaceful, and _handsome._ I noticed how blonde his eyelashes were and the small smudges of charcoal on his forehead where he wiped his hand. I brushed the hair out of his eyes, and he looked up at me and said, _‘hello’_ and then out of nowhere I kissed him!”

Delly has to refrain herself from falling off of her perch on the windowsill, grasping the edge of her seat and holding a hand to her lips. Katniss continues to gush about her ‘wonderful’ afternoon with Peeta, with each of the girls chiming in. Delly lets herself believe that Katniss forced Peeta to kiss her, and that he was only being nice.

But it is only when small Primrose says, “Katniss I know a wedding means eternal love in the Capitol, but to me it seems like an alliance tactic, so will you have a toasting with Peeta?”

Delly sees Katniss blush out of the corner of her eyes and shrug and let a small smile creep onto her features. “I don’t know Prim, we may just yet.”

Delly recalls of a time when her mother was explaining each of the Districts customs to her: how District 1 would drink from a diamond encrusted chalice, the wine signifying blood and commitment; District 4 would wrap the bride and groom in a fishing net and rub salt water onto each other’s lips; and how The Seam would bake a loaf of bread the night before, and then break a piece off, hold it over a fire and then feed it to each other, signifying that they will never let each other go hungry, for as long as they both shall live.

At that moment an idea pops into Delly’s head, a great idea at that. She quickly stands and begins to stalk out of the room; aware of the fact that Katniss and her ladies stare at her while she leaves. Once Delly is out of sight she begins to quickly walk towards Peeta’s quarters, a large grin on her features, and one thought on her mind.

When Delly arrives at Peeta’s heavy door, the guard notifies her that Peeta wants privacy; Delly waves the guard off and slowly opens the door not making a noise, hoping to surprise Peeta. When she steps in and slowly inches towards his hunched form on the bed she realises that his arm is pumping in quick erratic movements; she is confused to what he is doing until a moan leaves his mouth.

Buzzing with adrenalin, Delly silently moves behind a hanging drape that completely conceals her. She used to hide here during games of hide and seek when she was younger. Delly is just about to hike her dress up when she hears Peeta say a name.

“Ka…” He trails off, his head falling back, letting his golden curls bounce around. He screws his eyes shut and moans, “Katniss.”

Delly freezes and lets her dress fall back to the floor, Peeta lets out a final guttural moan and sighs happily, he stands and wipes his hand on his bed sheets. Peeta buckles his belt and then chucks his sketchpad on his dresser; Delly ducks behind the drape as he walks past her, and calls out to the guard, “Lewis! Can you please notify Queen Katniss that I will meet her for dinner in an hour.”

And then he is gone. Delly waits a minute before coming out from behind the drape; she stands there in shock, staring at the spot where Peeta was dreaming about Katniss; _in that way._ She walks towards the dresser and picks up his drawing pad to find an elegant charcoal drawing of Katniss, her eyes wide, her lips pursed slightly, and her brows slightly furrowed. A large hand cups her cheek, and tendrils of hair falls around her face. The hand must be Peeta’s, and this must be right after they kissed.

Delly throws the book back onto the dresser as tears sting her eyes. _I will not cry,_ Delly scolds herself, pawing at her eyes. _I will not cry._ She storms out of the room, moving towards the men’s quarters, knowing full well that she is not to go there.

When she arrives, a guard stops her; she bats his hand away and says, “Go get Prince Peeta for me.”

The guard nods, and retreats into the room, and returns with Peeta trailing behind. “Delly,” He greets, a smile on his face that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I haven’t seen you today.”

Delly takes his hand and begins to walk with him in tow, she leads him through winding halls they used to run through together, their laughter used to bounce off of the stone and marble surfaces, now the only sound is their echoing foot steps.

She stops them at a corner, and pushes Peeta against the wall, and kisses him urgently. Peeta places his hands on her shoulders, and pushes her off of him holding her arms length away, “What has gotten into you?”

“I was in the Ladies quarters earlier, and I heard the little rumour of your and Katniss’s picnic this after noon, so I came to see if this was true. Did you kiss her?”

Peeta nods, “Yes, I did.”

Delly kisses him once more, nipping his lip with her teeth. She pulls away, and says in a rushed voice, “I want a toasting.”

“A toasting?” Peeta asks. She nods. “Like the one they hold in The Seam as a sign of marriage?”

“Yes Peeta,” Delly replies exasperated, her hands begin to smooth across his chest. “I thought it would be a good idea since I am going away, so I know that we will be together forever.”

“Delly neither of us are from the Seam,” Peeta says, taking her hands off of his chest and holding them. “Why do you want me to commit?”

“Because I love you Peeta, and you love me!” Delly says, a panicky laugh coming from her mouth. “And we belong together, no crown or queen can come between us!”

Peeta cocks his head to the side and asks, “Is this because you’re jealous of Katniss? Because if you are I don’t want a toasting out of lust, I want it out of love and commitment.”

Peeta lets her hands go and stalks back towards the men’s quarters, she calls after him, “Peeta Please!”

“No Delly, I have an important dinner to attend to.” Peeta calls back to her, his tone final. His stance hunched and his fists clenched at his sides.

Delly watches as he rounds a corner and his footsteps fade out, she lets out a groan of frustration and sides down the smooth marble wall, to the cold floor. Tears spill down her cheeks and rage boils up inside of her. She grips her hair in her fists and tugs on it, chanting under her breath, “I hate her! I hate Katniss!”

* * *

 

**_District 2._ **

****

He leans over the table, letting his eyes roam over the map of all the kingdoms, his eyes landing on the kingdom of The Seam and it’s three lesser regions surrounding it. He picks up his dagger and stabs it right in the centre of the Seam.

“I will wed the Queen of the Seam,” His gruff voice says to the crowd of men around him, “I will wed Katniss, and take the Seam or there will be hell to pay. Screw any alliance with The Capitol, I want the Seam to myself.”

The group of men around him murmur in agreement, letting a wave of satisfaction wash over him. His father steps forward stroking his white beard, he asks, “And how will this be done Cato?”

Cato laughs and says menacingly, “By assassinating the Prince of The Capitol of course.”

  


	6. Chapter 6

The morning broke with the sun bursting over the horizon; his blonde curls whips around in the wind as his blue eyes set on the rising sun. It was the Friday of Delly’s departure to the Seam, her final day in the Capitol court, for now.

The western tower of the castle has a crow’s nest where Peeta sits; he managed to bring up some chairs and an easel so he could paint sunrises like this. But today he just watches the pinks and the oranges burst across the sky, and how the rays of yellow sunshine hit the clouds and set them a glow.

Peeta can feel the tension of court leave his shoulders as the beams of light burnt away any darkness in his chest. Trying to upkeep the façade of being the ‘ _Cocky Prince’_ to appease Noblemen was tiring him out, and since the arrival of Katniss, he can’t help being the boy his mother secretly wanted him to be. Not that she ever deliberately did, he could tell that she was proud of his soft mannerisms.

Soon the sun was set into the sky, letting the sky fade from purple to blue, the clouds shine a white-silver and the lake lights up like a giant mirror. The sound of the forest fills Peeta’s ears; as his eyes shift toward a figure emerging from the woods, a brown cloak flowing behind them as they enter the meadow. Another figure emerges behind them; it is easy to see that they were much taller, a red cloak hanging off of them.

 _Gale and Katniss._ Peeta can’t help the pang of jealousy that starts in his chest and spreads out to the tips of his fingers. The fact that he and Katniss doesn’t share similar interests bothered him, and also since the dinner a few nights ago she had been distant, like she had once again put her walls up.

Peeta lets his fingers skim over his lips, trying to conjure up the feeling of her lips pressed against his, the heat and the comfort that radiated from their contact. He longed for the small smiles she would cast his way, and the glint in her silver eyes.

And then a vision of blue eyes flooded his mind, Delly’s eyes as she looked at him. Her possession and want for him, over the past few days his mind was reeling over her proposal for a toasting. It was odd, her whole rushing into everything. Neither of them originated from the Seam. So why did she want one?

Peeta shook his head of his thoughts, and tugged on his hair, pulling himself out of his revere. He heaved himself from his chair, and straightened the crook in his back, stretching his arms over his head.

His boots thud against the stone steps as he makes his way down the steps of the tower, his relaxed demeanour returning to its forever-rigid stance. He enters his studio and grabs the jacket that hangs on a chair, and shrugs it on, fixing the collar of his shirt as he goes. Presentation is the key to Royal court; he couldn’t be caught in just his shirt and pants.

He buckles his sword sheath to his waist, and retrieves his sword that hangs off of the wall. A whole rack of them lines the wall adjacent to his table, varying in shapes, colour and sizes. Peeta’s favourite is his short claymore, the perfectly smithed steel gleams with every swing, and the supple wrapped leather of the hilt never give him blisters.

Peeta sheathes the sword, and goes to the basin to clean his face, trying to take the tiredness away from his eyes, and the deep-set lines in his face. He brushes his now damp hair back and leaves the room, knowing his father would be awake and wanting to have breakfast with his only son. 

* * *

 

His Father sits at the other end of the table, his white velvet garments hanging off of his body; they match the colour of his hair. The king’s family name was Snow for a reason, and this was why.

Peeta silently chews on his eggs, his fingers tapping absently on the wood of the table; keeping his blue eyes cast down. His father talks loudly his booming voice bouncing off of the flag clad walls about his plan to retake Panem, to make it great like it once was.

Panem was once a large kingdom, which had 13 smaller regions that were ruled by noblemen, just like any kingdom. Each region had strengths, for example the Seam was once called District 12, its strength was the production of coal. But around a hundred years ago, a revolt turned on the king and the regions broke off, making 4 smaller kingdoms with different regions.

The Luxury Kingdom now has the alliance of The Capitol, District 1 and 2. The Machinery Kingdom has the alliance of districts 3, 5 and 6, with 6 as the capitol. The Production Kingdom has the alliance of districts 4, 7 and 8, with 4 as the capitol. And the Cultivation Kingdom has the alliance of 9, 10, 11 and The Seam rules as the capitol of the Kingdom.

Peeta had to learn this system growing up, all the loopholes and the rules of deception, his father would sit him in front of a table with a map laid out, different coloured pawns spread across the surface. Snow would go on for hours about the ways of court, the ways of royals. But no matter how much trickery or cruelty his father taught him; his mother would sit with him just as he was retiring for the night, and tell him about the kind ways of her home in the Seam, the way the King ruled fair and just, how his kingdom prospered above all because of their loyalty and kind hearts. And that’s where Peeta learned to be a good king, you must serve your people, not rule them.

“Peeta.” His head snaps up to his father, his eyes instantly focusing on his fathers stare. “What are your plans for the day? I want to have lesson in the war room, I have some things to tell you.”

“Gale and I planned on sparring, also I must bid farewell to Delly, for she leaves for the Seam at sunset.” Peeta replies, setting down his cutlery and wiping his mouth with a cloth.

“Well,” Snow begins, Peeta knows full well that he and his father _will_ have the lesson this afternoon. Snow gets what Snow wants. “I’ll meet you when Delly’s carriage leaves for The Seam, I expect you to be in the war room within a half hour from that time, if you are not there will be punishments.”

Peeta nods in understanding, gulping as he does so, causing his Adams apple to bob. Punishments are not to be taken lightly, especially when Snow is at the giving end of them.

“I’ll be there father, not a minute late,” Peeta says, standing from his seat. His legs pushing it back causing the legs of the chair to scrape across the stone floors. Snow nods to him, and waves his hand in dismissal, letting Peeta leave the dining room.

Peeta starts towards the guards training area, that’s where Gale keeps his weapons, and the spot where he practices his sword fighting. And that’s the place where Peeta and Gale spar, testing to see which one of them are the strongest.

He enters the gravel area from the heavy wooden door; he lets his eyes wander around noticing the different guards and their uniforms. The white sheen metal of The Capitol Guards with their blood red shoulder protectors; The gleaming black metal of The Seam guards, a golden shining Mockingjay stamped into the curve of the chest plate; District 4 guards with green malachite looking armour, netting tied around their biceps.

Peeta’s eyes land on a familiar raven-haired man, he walks towards his stepbrother, and pats him on the shoulder in greeting. “Gale,” Peeta says jovially.

“Peet!” Gale greets happily, resting his hands on the hilt of his sword. “It’s good to see you rising early these days, it seems you’re less tired. It must be the lack of _physical_ activity.”

Peeta slugs Gale’s arm and shakes his head, feeling the embarrassment rising onto his cheeks. His eyes land on hers, as she stares at him, the corner of her eyes tweak like she is smiling; but no smile rests on her face, only a small smirk. “My Queen.” Peeta bows politely, taking in the green blouse and the tight hunting pants she wears. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hello Peeta,” Katniss smiles almost shyly, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “It’s good to see you too, as it is everyday.”

Peeta’s eyes widen, and he sees a small blush start from Katniss’s neck and creep up to the tips of her ears. It’s a moment until Gale clears his throat and claps his hands together unceremoniously, Peeta catches a hint of what looks like jealousy in his brother’s eyes. But he shrugs it off, not taking note of how his brother gazes at his fiancé shamelessly.

“So brother, what shall the sparring be today? Swords? Spears? Daggers? Jousting?” Gale begins, pulling the dagger from his hip sheathes and twirling it in his fingers; a lazy smile forming onto his lips. “I would like to see your chances at archery actually.”

Peeta scratches the blond stubble on his chin, and raises his eyebrows in question. Noticing the Katniss’s silver eyes watching him carefully. Peeta smiles, and turns to his brother, “Wrestling.”

Gale groans. “Wrestling? Why?”

Peeta claps his brother’s shoulder, causing Gale to send the twirling dagger into the earth, leaving the hilt skyward. “Because,” Peeta smiles, “You are better then me at everything… but in wrestling I can beat you.”

“Sometimes.”

“Sometimes.” Peeta says to his brother reassuringly, knowing full well that his stepbrother does not like being shown up, especially in the company of a lady, a very particular lady at that.

“Then it’s settled,” Katniss speaks for both the men, she crosses her arms across her chest and lets her eyes shift between the two men. “The first to floor their opponent wins.”

“What’s the prize?” Gale asks, his gaze settling on Katniss questioningly.

“Does there have to be a prize?” Katniss asks incredulously, tweaking her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at Gale.

Gale clicks his fingers and says happily, “How about the winner gets to kiss the Queen perhaps.” He looks to Katniss suggestively.

Peeta grabs Gale’s arm tightly, and says to him angrily, “You cannot use the Queen as a bargaining chip; she is no prize to be won.”

“Hold on Peeta,” Katniss says to him softly, her eyes on him. Peeta feels heat rush through his body, a nervous anticipation running through him. “I accept that I may be a prize, but it is also fair the loser get’s a prize, that I will choose when the time may come.”

“Deal.” Gale says instantly, stretching his hand out to Peeta. He stands there for a second, watching Katniss carefully as she watches him mirroring his expression. Peeta raises his eyebrows in question, and she gives him a small nod, to which he extends his arm and shakes hands with Gale.

The air has seems to leave Peeta’s lungs, Gale laughs and once again claps his hands together. Peeta begins to take off his sword sheathe and gently places it on the ground next to him, he rolls his shoulders back and turns his head from side to side, stretching his back muscles. It hasn’t been long since they had last wrestled, but it had been a while since Peeta has trained at all, and he knows his stepbrother likes to rise early to train.

Gale discards of his belt as well and takes his hunting jacket off, letting Peeta do the same. The men walk into the centre of the quadrangle, and face each other.

Katniss stands a few meters to Peeta’s right, her arms folded and a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. A few men scatter around them, all hooting and guffawing for them to fight. A shot of adrenalin rushes though Peeta, as his hands stretch in anticipation of a round.

They begin to circle each other; Peeta’s eyes boring into Gale’s grey ones. Gale moves in quickly, but in the moment Peeta feels the world slow down, and watches as Gale brings his hands to encircle his torso. Peeta grabs Gale’s arm and pulls them into a locking position, his brother yelps in pain.

The few men around them cheer and clap, as Peeta manoeuvres Gale into a headlock. Peeta can hear Gale’s laboured breathing, and loosens his grip; but it’s enough for Gale to grab Peeta’s shoulder and pull him sideways over and around his body.

Peeta’s back hits the ground with a loud thump, his chest constricting as he gasps for air, his vision tinging dark at the sides. Peeta sees Gale lean over him and give a smug smile, his voice ringing in Peeta’s ear, “We can go one more round if you want.”

Peeta nods, and Gale holds his hand out for him, as their hands clasp together, Peeta swings his left leg around and collects Gale’s legs, sending him tumbling to the ground. Everyone around them whistles and cheers, Peeta feels the rush again all over his body, and he waves to the guards in a charming manor. His eyes lock with Katniss’s and he sends her a small smile, to which he receives one back. A new feeling of bliss washes over him, as his eyes soften on the woman standing a few feet away from him.

As Peeta goes to stand, he feels a hand encircle his ankle and yanks him down, his shoulder taking the brunt of the impact; he lets out a yelp of pain. His eyes squeeze shut as the heat of the pain radiates from his shoulder, he can feel something isn’t right. A weight pushes down on his torso as he is rolled over, his eyes open to find Gale hovering over him, but his brother’s eyes are alight with heinous anger. A wave of confusion crashes into Peeta, as Gale raises a fist, and strikes Peeta with shocking force.

Peeta’s vision darkens, and he feels his body fall limp. He can hear shouts and he feels the weight on his body lighten. A higher voice breaks through his haze, and he opens his eyes, finding a bright silver light bore into his eyes. “Katniss,” He splutters, he sits up, sending a wave of nausea wash over him, and his head feels as is it will spin off of his shoulders.

Katniss stands from crouching next to Peeta, and he watches as she turns to face Gale, the ringing in his ears slowly ebbing away, letting him hear the scuffle around him. He hears Katniss’s brash voice yelling at Gale, coming to him in bits and pieces, “… _Not fair_ … _severely injured… why?”_ The ringing finally dies down, and the world around him halts from spinning. His ears pick up on the conversation.

“Why Gale?” Katniss asks, her voice commanding and strong. Like a Queen’s.

“We were sparring Katniss,” Gale counters, his voice having an edge of defensiveness. “That’s what we do.”

“Not in a fair fight!” Katniss says, she points to Peeta, and questions, “Does he look like he thought it was a fair fight, Gale?”

Gale’s eyes land on Peeta and they narrow into slits, Peeta can’t help but feel guilty for being the reason his brother is getting yelled at. Peeta rises from the ground and stumbles a bit, but quickly regains his balance before anyone can offer him assistance. He straightens his gait, and feels a throbbing pain in his face and his shoulder.

“It’s fine Katniss,” Peeta says, reaching up and touching the cut in his lip, and wincing at how swollen it feels already.

She turns to him, her eyes blazing, but a small underlying emotion of worry etched into her features. “No, its not Peeta.” She says softly, she moves to him, her hand reaching out and her fingertips brushing against his lips. She says in an almost whisper, “Its not fair, he hurt you badly.”

Peeta catches her wrist and circles her hands with his, clamping them together. “Katniss.” Peeta says more finally, her eyes shifting back up to his, “I’m alright, it was just a spar, and I was caught of guard.”

“And I won.” Gale cuts in, moving next to the pair, his eyes landing on their hands. Gale moves his attention to Katniss, almost as if he is cutting Peeta off from the conversation, making them drop each other’s hands. “And since I won, I get my prize.”

Gale leans into Katniss, and ducks his head to kiss her lips, just as his lips nearly touches hers, she turns her head and Gale’s lips brush her cheek. He draws back, and furrows his brows giving Katniss and incredulous look. “I thought the winner got a kiss.”

“No Gale,” Katniss smiles sweetly, “The prize was _the winner_ _got_ to kiss the Queen, and you did.”

The men around them laugh, as Gale shakes his head and scratches his beard. He walks around Katniss and Peeta, and reaches down to grab his jacket and belt, putting them both on quickly. Gale turns towards Katniss and bows his head respectively, “Thank you my Queen, I will shall see you tomorrow.” With that Gale leaves Katniss, and Peeta.

The guards too dissipate back to their training stations. Peeta feels a pair of eyes on him, and he turns his eyes to Katniss, she questions him with just her expression. _Why did you let him off?_ He answers the unasked question; “Gale sometimes gets a bit enthusiastic when it comes to sparring.” Her eyes still bore into him unrelentingly, making him feel smaller. “You should see him when I attempt to do archery.” Peeta tries to lighten her mood.

All she says back to him is, “You feel guilty for making him look bad.”

“Wha-“                                                                  

“Peeta,” Katniss cuts him off, she places her hands on his shoulders, and he stills under her touch. “There is no need to feel guilty, if I had my way, I would have hit him back with just as much force.”

“But then I would be no better than he is.” Peeta replies helplessly. He shrugs, and lets his eyes fall from hers to the ground. A small hand cups his cheek and his gaze is raised back up to hers.

“As for your prize my prince,” Katniss says, a smile playing on her lips, “You’ll receive it when you least expect it.”

* * *

 

The horse’s mane is coarse under Prim’s smooth hands, but she quite enjoys how the horse whinnies and nudges her hand with his head. Prim also enjoys that where the horses are, Thresh is.

The princess likes to hear about the simple life of a stable boy, how he works all day, tending the horses, feeding them, bathing them, and making them presentable to hitch onto carriages. How much he loves them.

Her trail of though is broken by the sound of crunching gravel behind her; she turns her head and finds Thresh standing a few meters away. “Hello, your majesty,”

Prim looks at him questioningly, raising a dark blonde brow in the process. His cheeks dimple as he smiles at her, his brown eyes glinting. She steps towards him and says quietly, “I told you to call me Prim.”

Thresh looks around, and nods towards a servant watching Prim warily, waiting for her to ask him for anything. “Not when there are other people around.”

Prim’s eyes land on the servant, and she sends Thresh a mischievous smile. She raises her hand towards the servant, and has him instantly scurrying over to her. “Can you please go fetch me my rose-petal-pink shawl, it is in my room, somewhere in the muddle of clothing. You can take your time.”

The servant gulps and nods, “Yes your majesty.” The man hurries off, to the other side of the castle.

Prim turns back towards Thresh, and smiles, “You may call me Prim now.”

Thresh smiles, and says in a low voice, “Yes, your majesty.”

Prim glances around, takes Thresh by his hand and leads him to the other side of the carriage, knowing that know one would be able to see them. When they come around the side of the carriage, Prim grabs Thresh’s shirt and pulls him in closer to her and she presses her lips to his, savouring the softness and the taste of sweet apples.

They’ve been doing this for a couple weeks now, sneaking around, kissing, and talking… Prim likes kissing the most.

His hands cup her face as he backs her up against the brick wall, Prim sighs contentedly, entwining her fingers behind his neck. One of his coarse hands grip her waist, and pulls her flush against him. She will never get over the feeling of his calloused hands on her body, his midnight complexion compared to her snow-white skin. The synchronization they have with each other, how they move, how they breathe; she is surprised to how quickly it came to them. Sometimes it seems to Prim, that she can hardly breathe when he’s not around, but when their lips make contact her lungs fill back up with air.

Their lips break apart, and his face hovers over hers, breathing in the same air as her, inhaling as she exhales, exhaling as she inhales. Sharing each other. She gives him a breathless smile, running her hands down his back. “I really like seeing you,” Prim sighs; her bright blue eyes staring into Thresh’s shining brown ones.

“I really like seeing you,” Thresh says, his hands wrapping around her waist, trying to pull her closer if that was even possible. He brings his lips to her ear, and says in a low husky voice, “I really like kissing you. I really like touching you. I really like the sounds you make.” He nibbles on her earlobe, making Prim squeak and her body rush with heat. She feels his smile against her skin, “like that one.”

She pulls his head back and pushes her lips back onto his, her tongue swiping his, and sucking in his bottom lip; making him inhale sharply. Prim smiles into their kiss, and then pushes the hem of his shirt up, letting her hands runs over the dips and bumps of Thresh’s torso. A new feeling of curiosity rips through her, and something else… a yearning clawing at her chest, ripping away at her, trying to burst through her. Prim likes it.

There is a coiling feeling tightening in her stomach, and at the apex of her thighs, where Thresh’s knee is wedged. She manages to pull the shirt off of him, letting her eyes rake over Thresh’s god-like body. _He’s like a statue, carved and rugged._ Her mind tells her.

She feels his hands lightly push back the shoulders of her dress, exposing her skin to the crisp spring air, making goose bumps rise where his fingers grace over her skin. She lets her shaky hands pull up the skirts of her dress; her eyes stare into his intensely, watching the amazed expression on his face.

Thresh’s hands slowly grace up her legs, and rest at the cloth of per panties. He looks down at her, with a curious expression, and she nods slowly, pressing her teeth into her bottom lip. Just as his finger brushes across her most sensitive spot, a shriek rings out through the courtyard, to which Prim instantly recognises as Delly.

A wave of annoyance washes over Prim as she drops her skirts with a huff, she feels Thresh chuckle as he nuzzles her neck with his nose. “Be quiet,” She hushes him, the feeling of giddiness still weighing down her bones, “We’ll be found.”

The pressure of his lips against her neck shows that he doesn’t care, and in that moment neither does Prim. Another set of boots crunch along the gravel path towards the carriage, and this time she identifies the uneven heavy tread.

“Thresh, Peeta is on the other side of the carriage,” Prim says gutturally, her voice as low and quiet as she can manage. He hums in response, sucking on the pulse point on her neck, to which he _knows_ is the most sensitive part of her neck. She lets out a gasp, one that isn’t loud enough for them to hear, if they’re not close enough. Prim’s eyes slide shut, as Thresh’s hands pull her closer to him pinning her body flush against his; the heat in his body radiating into her, making her melt in his arms.

“Prim?” A voice speaks, Prim springs back from Thresh, making her back push up against the brick wall. Her eyes land on Katniss, who stands a good ten meters away.

Prim gulps as her older sister stares at her in shock, no emotion on her face. “Katniss…” Prim starts, her voice trembling, “It’s not what it looks like…” She looks to Thresh, whose eyebrows are raised.

“Prim,” Thresh says, his mouth tweaks up at the sides, “It’s exactly what it looks like.”


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES OR REIGN. I DON’T OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS**

* * *

 

Peeta’s shoulder bumps Katniss’s as they walk along the gravel path towards the stables, making the edges of Katniss’s lips curve upward into a smile. She looks over to Peeta to find he’s already watching her. Her eyes travel from his bright blue ones to the sling that’s wrapped around his left arm and shoulder, and a pang of guilt runs through her; she allowed the fight, and she was the bargaining chip, she shouldn’t have let them brawl like that, over her at the least.

Katniss’s ears perk up to the sound of Delly shrieking, her eyes snap to the blonde who is desperately trying to fish a bag of hers from a mound of horse poo. Katniss can’t help the snicker that passes her lips as she watches the scene; Delly’s arms flail around as she shouts at the servant who looks at her terrified.

Peeta sends her a scolding look and rushes towards Delly, using his free hand to try and calm her down. Katniss trails behind him, staring at the pair _._ Peeta gestures to Katniss, and the crimson complexion that Delly currently holds darken as her eyes settle on Katniss. She can’t help but feel a little smug at the fact that Delly holds so much hate towards her, even though Katniss had never intentionally hurt Delly.

Katniss stops at the end of the carriage, letting Peeta and Delly have their time to bid farewell to each other, for now. She can still hear their conversation though due to her finely tuned hunters hearing. As the conversation draws along, she hears a gasp from behind the carriage; Katniss quirks her head to the side and looks around the back of the carriage. Nothing. Katniss moves closer to the whispering sounds, looks around the corner of the stable.

Katniss freezes at the sight of a man and a woman wrapped in a passionate embrace, and her mouth drops open. She stands there silently for a moment, when the woman’s face turns towards her, her eyes shut. At that moment Katniss realizes that the woman is a girl. _And the girl is Prim._

Katniss’s mouth dries up for a second as she gawks at the scene before her, her sister in tangles with a man who has _no shirt on,_ and how her little sister rakes her fingers down the man’s back.

Before Katniss can refrain herself, she says raspingly, “Prim?”

Like a bolt of lighting, Prim springs back from the man, and her eyes instantly land on Katniss, wide and shocked. Her mouth opens, and she blabbers out, “Katniss… its not what it looks like….” Prim’s cheeks burn a bright red as she looks over at the man.

His lips quirk up at the sides, as he looks back at Prim, and he says in a gravelly voice, “Prim, it’s exactly what it looks like.”

Katniss still frozen in place stares at the two, her eyes shifting between them, as they wait for her to say something, she opens and closes her mouth for a minute, like a blubbering fish out of water. Finally her voice makes an appearance, “Prim… how long has this been going on?”

Prim’s bright blue eyes meet hers, conveying her fear, her reply comes small, “I met Thresh the day we arrived, actually it was the night of Farina’s wedding.”

Katniss’s eyes move to the man, Thresh, but now she can see his lankiness, and the awkward way he holds himself, he must be no older than she; as she stares at Thresh for longer, Katniss can see he is handsome, with a strong jaw and a midnight complexion, his nose is large but complements his high cheekbones, and his lips are round and plump. Just the man – boy – Katniss pictured Prim with.

She goes to speak once more, when she is cut off by the sound of Peeta’s voice, she looks behind her and then sends a worried glance Prim’s way. Her sister nods her head towards Peeta’s voice, Katniss gives her one last _‘We must talk later’_ look and returns back to the carriage.

Katniss emerges from behind the carriage and finds Peeta looking for her, his blue eyes land. “Katniss,” He says lightly, “why were you behind the carriage?”

“Oh-I,” Katniss gazes behind her, the whole scene with Prim playing in her head, like a performance. “I was… looking at the stables, they’re larger to those in The Seam.”

Her eyes meet Peeta’s once more and she finds a smile playing on his lips, and then suddenly it drops off of his face. He says, “Delly wants to have a word with you.”

“Very well,” Katniss says, moving towards Peeta and Delly who stands behind him. She looks to Peeta and says, “Does she want it to be private?”

He shrugs, “I’m guessing so, I shall just stand aside if you need me.”

Katniss nods and gives him a small smile, before her eyes set on Delly. The other girl leans against the black carriage, her face splotchy from the nip of autumn in the air and her blue eyes are set somewhere beyond the castle, her blonde hair is braided like a crown on her head and is partially hidden by the deep purple cloak she wears. Katniss steels herself and moves towards Delly.

“Delly,” Katniss says softly, straightening her gait and holding her hands in front of her, just like her mother taught her. Delly’s blue eyes meet her grey ones, and her brows pull together. “Peeta told me you would like a word.”

“Oh yes,” Delly pulls herself up from the carriage, and faces Katniss fully, showing off the deep red dress she wears. “I just wanted to pay farewell Katniss. Also I am warning you about the people in the castle.”

“Excuse me?”

Delly’s eyes look at her worried, she continues, “You may feel welcomed now, but if there is a threat to the Royal family, you will be removed. Like me for example.”

Katniss quirks her head to the side and looks at Delly quizzically, it takes her a moment for Delly’s words to dawn on her. “Delly… are you being forced out?”

She looks around and nods, “I must not say by whom, but I must have you know.”

“Why are you helping me?” Katniss asks, all Delly has been is cruel since Katniss’s arrival. “Why now?”

Delly sets her jaw and replies, “If I am not here there is no one to be there for Peeta, and you’re better than anyone else in the whole goddamn castle. Also its because I love him and he may not love me the same way I do, but it is my duty to keep him safe, and out of harms way. I will not stop fighting for the man I love, but it is a hard race to win if your opponent had a head start when he was five.”

Katniss looks at Delly shocked, but then an odd feeling of understanding washes over her, the understanding that she too would do anything for the people she loves. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Delly says with a wave of her hand. Her eyes set on Peeta, who stands behind her, which causes Katniss to turn and gaze upon the golden haired prince that stands away from them. “I asked him to toast with me.”

“Pardon me?”

“I thought if he said yes he would have asked me to stay,” Delly says, her eyes wistfully unfocused. “I thought we would be together forever, but some dreams cannot be. He was confused and declined almost immediately, he could see my jealousy over you.”

Katniss inhales sharply, her cheeks burning as she looks down at the pebbles under her shoes. “I never wanted to intrude on you.”

“I would have thought otherwise,” Delly says snidely. Her tone softens when she says, “With you coming in with your beauty and talent for hunting and the prospect of men falling at your feet, Peeta couldn’t stand the thought of loosing you, but in the process he lost me.”

Katniss turns back to Delly, and gives her an apologetic look, she finds her with tears in her eyes. Katniss moves towards Delly, and takes one of her hands, “Delly, I truly am sorry. I am sure your home in the Seam will fit you well, and I will request the best for you, you shouldn’t be treated like you don’t belong, because you do belong somewhere.”

Delly nods, and bites her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “Katniss it is hard to hate you when you are so kind.” Katniss laughs and pats Delly’s hand, she continues, “But know I will never forgive you if you hurt Peeta, and I will always fight for him, if he wants me or not, because that is the type of person I am.”

Katniss nods, and replies, “I know you are Delly, and that is why I admire you so.”

Delly smiles, and looks to her maids behind her, she asks them if they are ready to go, to which they affirm. Katniss helps Delly into the carriage, and bids her farewell, Peeta joins her and gives Delly a kiss on the cheek, and he leans in and whispers something into Delly’s ear. Katniss can’t hear over the sound of the maids chattering, but when he pulls away Delly is pawing tears from her eyes, and Peeta pats her cheek with his good hand.

“Goodbye Deloris, I will be seeing you.” Peeta says in a jokingly prince manner, and Delly laughs. He stands back with Katniss and watches as the horses trot down the road, leaving the sound of crunching pebbles behind.

When the carriage is out of sight, Peeta looks to Katniss, a small smile on his lips. “It seems Delly has took a liking to you.”

“No not a liking,” Katniss responds her eyes still on the carriage as it shrinks smaller and smaller down the gravel road. “We have an understanding. “

Peeta gives her a quizzical look and shrugs it off; he faces her fully, his broad shoulders blocking her view of the retreating carriage. “Katniss…” Peeta begins, his eyes casting downward, “I know we have not yet talked about the wedding and such, but I was hoping that it could be soon.”

Katniss cocks her head to the side, her brow furrowing. His lover had just left, and he was proposing that they get married sooner? How odd. “Peeta,” Katniss starts, taking a moment to form the proper words in her mind. “I would like to wait… just a small while, what comes with marriage is trust and loyalty, and right now we must build these up, to make sure we fit together. We are in a stage that we find comfortable, but when something bad happens, how will we handle each other? Will we be different?”

His eyes meet her, silver and blue. Her breath catches at the intensity of his stare. He says, “Katniss… I will wait as long as you want, but know that I will do anything for you to trust me, for us to marry and to become King and Queen.”

Katniss smiles, her cheeks flushing, and in a moment of nerve she wraps her arms around his neck and presses a light kiss on his lips, making sure she isn’t crushing his sore shoulder. When they break apart, his smile is so big that Katniss is afraid it might break his face in half.

“What was that for?”

“I’m not too sure actually,” Katniss teases, her hands resting on his chest, she can feel how fast his heart beating. “Maybe, I like you… just a little bit.”

“Only a little bit? Goodness, I must be hard to like then.” He jokes his voice lowering, as his eyes flit down to her lips.

“Well, my prince… sometime you can find nice things in the shabbiest of piles.”

“Are you comparing me to a pile of rubbish?”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Katniss smiles; her chest feels heavy, but her heart is soaring. She glides her hand down his good arm and takes his hand, facing toward the castle they begin to walk.

They stay silent, not wanting words to tarnish the little moment they are having, it has been the first in a while. Katniss missed these moments, the time they didn’t fill with useless talk, but sat comfortably, taking in each other’s company.

The sound of panting and crunching leaves pulled their attention to a messenger boy that was running toward him, his face red from exertion. “My Queen! My Prince!” He panted, as he stopped before them with his hands resting on his knees. “Your majesties, Snow wants to speak with you immediately. Especially you my Queen.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Peeta asks, his voice loud but undemanding.

“Region 1 has declared war on The Seam.”

 

* * *

 

Katniss bursts through the heavy doors of the study, her eyes landing on a furious Snow and a collected Meredith. Peeta comes up beside her; his face as solid as rock, but an underlying emotion of fear is in his eyes.

“What is this I hear about war against my people?” Katniss demands, her voice filling the quiet room, bounding off of the cool stonewalls.

“You tell me!” Snow says, his snake like eyes narrowing down on Katniss, “What have you done to provoke them?”

“I have done nothing!” Katniss sneers, she walks forward to the small king, making him step back. “It’s your _ally_ that has done this, The Seam has never quarreled with the Luxury Districts.”

Snow looks at her with a bitter expression, like he has swallowed something sour; then again, he always looks like that. The King leans over the wooden table in front of them; a map of Panem laid out on top of it, and daggers holds the corners down. “Lord Marvel is a stupid little boy, to weak to even swing a sword. Why would he do this?”

“Perhaps, Cornelius, you should look at your alliances, maybe there might be something off.” Meredith says, her voice as cool and sharp as a daggers edge. She gracefully moves to the table and taps her fingers over the letters that spell out: LUXURY DISTRICTS. Region 1 is coloured in a deep purple, Katniss’s eyes move to The Seam, which is coloured grey. Her fingertips trail the boarder of her home and grace over the surrounding regions; such a small thing on a map, Katniss thinks, but engulfs one when they stand on the balcony of the Kings Palace.

“Have you contacted Lord Cato, Father?” Peeta questions, resting his good hand on the hilt of his sword; Snow looks up to his son, and nods in response. Katniss shifts her eyes between the two men, trying to pick out similarities, but she couldn’t find any,

“No I have not,” Snow replies, scratching his beard. “But it is a good thought, my boy.”

Katniss sees a glint of happiness in Peeta’s eyes, as his father calls on a messenger and orders them to send word to Lord Cato. A feeling of tightness forms in her chest as she remembers the feeling when her father said he was proud of her, an overwhelming sense of giddiness would always flood her body, and make her smile for the rest of the day.

But now was not a time to dawdle in the past, she had a war to fight, and to win. Katniss’s attention is pulled back to the conversation at hand when Snow says to her, “My young Queen, are you ready to fight a war?”

* * *

Katniss sits in her bed staring at the dying fire across from her, it had been a rough night talking with her army officials; she had to arrange a carrier bird to send word back to the Seam, Paylor sent her falcon with a note attached warning Katniss’s mother and her uncle Haymitch, who are currently helping run the Seam.

Her gray eyes snap up at the sound of the door opening and closing, Prim walks toward her, Katniss notices her little sister’s hands wringing together, they look to be shaking. She stops a foot from the end of Katniss’s bed, her eyes a dark shade of blue, and her hair a dull blonde in the overcast light of the morning.

“Good morning Katniss,” Prim greets her in a shaky voice.

The images of yesterday’s confrontation runs through Katniss’s mind, the tall boy, the way Prim clutched to him, and looked at him lovingly; how he – Thresh she now remembers – held her gently, like Prim would break.

“Hello Primrose,” Katniss says in a scratchy voice, her tired eyes focusing on the bright blue ribbon in her sister’s hair.

“Katniss…” Prim starts over a moment of silence. She looks to be struggling for words, “I can explain.”

“It would be helpful if you could,” Katniss says, looking at her little sister helplessly, trying not to raise her voice or snap. She adds warmly, “I would really like to hear about him.”

“Surely?” Prim asks, her mood lightening up. Katniss nods and pats the spot next to her on the bed, Prim clampers in and snuggles up to Katniss; a position that they only ever did when they were young. Prim starts to explain her and Thresh’s relationship; they met in the kitchens the night they arrived, from that day on they met every night outside of the stables and would talk. It seemed over the six weeks that Katniss was in the castle, Prim had a friend, well more than a friend; and that was the explanation of her lack of interest of Royal business, then again, Katniss was convinced that Prim would be happy living with a small cottage with a big garden, plenty of animals, a farmer husband and plenty of children.

Prim tells Katniss of Thresh’s family, his four younger sisters, and one younger brother, his parents. His home in region 11, how he wanted to be a rider in the royal army of The Seam, but King Everdeen died and he had to move to the Capitol for work as a stable boy. Katniss smiles at Prim’s admiration of this boy she had met, but then it dawned on her.

“Prim,” Katniss says when her sister dies down, “You do realize that you can’t be with him, for he has no title.”

Prim looks up at Katniss, her eyes rimming with tears, she nods and replies, “Of course I know that Katniss, and I am savoring any and every moment I have with him… I think I may be falling in love.”

Katniss smiles down at her little sister, and strokes her blonde hair; she kisses the top of her head and whispers, “You just may be little duck.”

* * *

 

Katniss sits on a throne along side Snow and Meredith in the main hall; ambassadors swarm around the room, discussing policies and war tactics. Katniss’s guards stand in a tight group next to her, all of them decked in their dark armor; Paylor stands next to Katniss, the older woman’s presence calms Katniss.

She looks up to the woman who helped raise her and asks, “Paylor, what is to come of this war?”

Paylor looks down to Katniss, her brown eyes soft and almost motherly, she pats Katniss’s shoulder and replies, “War is always bloody and dark, death plagues the land. This war will be no different to the others.”

Katniss looks down to her hands, which are neatly folded in front of her, she only wears a couple rings - her father’s, which has an elegant E, and a ring that looks to be vines wrapping together, with small diamonds incrusted into it. Her mind is beginning to wander a lot more, it has only been a couple days, but the war puts a toll on her; she wonders what it will be like in the heat of war.

The doors of the great hall burst open, sending a gush of chilling air through the hall, making the white banners stir, and the chatter of the officials silent. Lord Cato stands at the entrance, his hands behind his back, and his chin held high under a bushy blonde beard. His black eyes narrow on her and he smiles.

Cato and his officials’ walk towards the thrones, they all walk with a smug purpose. He stops a few feet short of the thrones, and bows gallantly towards Meredith and Snow. “Your majesties.”

Cato stands up right, and shifts his hungry gaze to Katniss, she straightens her back and clenches her jaw, a feeling of stoniness sets into her chest and she squeezes her hands together. Cato extends a large hand, and Katniss places hers in it, feeling the hardness of his callouses. The lord leans in and places a small kiss on the back of her hand, making Katniss’s stomach flip. “My Queen.” He says in his gravelly voice.

When Cato stands back from the throne, Snow addresses him, “Good day to you Lord Cato of Region 2. It is good you have come so soon.”

“As soon as the word of war was received, I came as quickly as I could,” Cato says, “I will do anything to help in this war effort.”

Snow begins to ramble on about the stupidity of Lord Marvel of Region 1 and Katniss keeps her eyes forward, avoiding the glances that Lord Cato sends her every few minutes. She is almost startled when a hand rests on her shoulder; she looks up to find Peeta gazing down at her, his arm no longer in a sling.

She smiles and whispers, “I thought you had a meeting.”

Peeta shrugs and kneels down next to the chair, his bright blue eyes still fixed onto her, “It finished… and I wanted to see you, it must be hard preparing for war.”

Katniss nods and takes Peeta’s hand, threading it through her fingers for comfort, “It is a hard reality to face, but war is war, one had to come eventually.”

Peeta picks up their entwined fingers and presses him lips to them, spreading warmth up through her body. “Just know Katniss,” he says softly, “I will do anything in my power to help you, I would command the seas if I could.” Katniss smiles, and feels a blossoming blush begin to creep up her neck; her fingertips tingle from the contact between her and Peeta.

“Peeta, my boy,” Snow says brining Katniss back from their revere, she sees Peeta also is a bit dazed from their closeness, she smiles a small bit, happy that Peeta gets as caught up with her as she does with him.

Her smile drops off of her face when her eyes land on Cato, his brows are furrowed, and he looks like he is challenging Katniss and Peeta. She narrows her eyes, and he smirks, turning his gaze away from her and back onto the King.

Peeta stands from beside her and addresses his father; the rest of the room resumes its loud chatter about the war. Katniss keeps her eyes on Peeta, watching the way his jaw clenches and how the veins in his hands pop out when he clenches them, and how he rests his hand on her shoulder and rubs soothing circles with his thumb.

“Excuse me father?” Peeta says rather abruptly, Katniss pulls her eyes from Peeta and looks towards Snow.

The King looks taken aback by his sons out burst, but he regains his composure and says, “You heard me boy, we cannot supply the arms to fight this war.”

Katniss stands, and furrows her brow in confusion, “Why not?”

“Well I would be fighting my allies, The Capitol cannot afford to loose them; they are apart of this Kingdom.” Snow says a matter of fact, his voice gliding over the words slyly.

“You’d be turning your back on your other allies,” Katniss says venomously, pulling the attention of the people in the room. “How _dare_ you expect me to marry your son, and then refuse to help me in war?”

Snow stands from his seat and says, “Because I am a King, and a King makes these decisions. You _are_ going to marry my son, your kingdom promised me a queen.”

“I am A Queen, and a Queen has to make decisions, and my decision is that this engagement is off.” Katniss retorts, gasps of surprise fills the room. Snow looks at her incredulously, his snake like eyes widening, and his mouth dropping open.

Peeta softly takes hold of her elbow, causing her gaze to shift onto him. His expression is stony, hard and unreadable, but his eyes are forgiving, almost understanding of the situation that she is in. Katniss gazes at him earnestly and then steps down from her throne, she turns away from the three royals and stalks out of the room with her guards in tow.

* * *

Peeta walks down the hall, his gait slumped. He fully understands where Katniss is coming from with her declaration of calling the engagement off, but he is still hurt. Peeta believed that they were perhaps going to marry in a few weeks, and then they would be able to spend more time freely together, with out the pressure of outside people. Peeta decided a few weeks ago that he wanted Katniss, even when Delly was there, he even admits that he was leading Delly on; but the pull towards Katniss was just too much for him to bare, he couldn’t get her out of his mind, and he was cruel to let Delly believe that he loved her the way she loved him.

Peeta stops walking when he finds Gale standing outside of his chambers. “Hello brother,” Peeta greets, watching him cautiously. They still hadn’t talked since the spar yesterday; Peeta was confused to why Gale got out of hand, and Gale didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about it either.

“Peeta,” Gale nods, standing up straight; he nods towards Peeta and says, “I heard about the engagement, that must be a blow to the pride.”

Peeta cocks his head at Gale’s odd interpretation of the situation, he replies, “Well not exactly, Katniss is doing it in defiance of my father, he’s being selfish and with holding help for the war.”

“Oh,” was all Gale could reply, Peeta thought he could see a glint of contentment in his step-brother’s grey eyes. It was odd his resemblance to Katniss, they had the same shaped face and same nose, their eyes were almost the same, where Gale’s eyes were dark gray like storm clouds; Katniss’s eyes were like blazing silver, like someone has melted his sword down in a hearth of silver lava.

Peeta went to go enter his room, but Gale’s hand stopped him. “Look Peeta,” Gale said, he stopped and looked to his brother. “Perhaps its best that Snow stays out of this, that you don’t marry her… because war can get messy and we don’t need this right now, maybe Delly would consider coming back and taking your hand in marriage.”

Peeta stares at his brother bewildered, he sneers, “Do you hear yourself right now, Gale? Katniss’s home is being threatened and your saying we should flee and stay out of it? Goodness sake Gale, Katniss needs all the help she can get, a _military_ region has declared war, and the population of The Seam is almost half of the army!” Peeta breathes for a second collecting himself, “How _dare_ you?”

“How dare I?”

Gale goes to speak again when Peeta cuts in, “I would rather fight for a Queen that would sacrifice anything for her people, than a king who would run away from his conflicts.”

“So you are going to war then?” Gale asks bitterly, crossing his arms defensively.

Peeta ponders for a moment, thinking of how quickly his father dismissed the idea of not wanting to help Katniss, and he nods, knowing that if he were King he would do anything for Katniss. “Yes,” Peeta finally answers, “I would put my life on the line to help save her people, the question is Gale would you?”

“I...” Gale trails off, his gray eyes shifting to the ground. Peeta scoffs, opens his door and enters his chambers, but before he can close it behind him Gale says, “You’re running away from your problems Peeta.”

He faces his brother once more, and retorts, “The only problem I have here is you.”

Peeta closes the door of his chambers before Gale can say another word, he walks to his bed and discards of his jacket and belt, he flops onto the bed and lets out a chuckle of breath, running his hands through his hair he says to himself, “I’m going to war.”

 

* * *

 

Katniss sits in her chambers, quietly listening to her ladies chatter around her, they’re all cautious to avoid the topic of war, or anything about court for that matter.

A soft knock sounds as the door, and Katniss calls for them to come in. The door opens and Lord Cato steps into the room, causing all the girls to stop talking. “Would you fair Ladies mind if I had a word with your Queen?”

“Not at all,” Madge says for the group, casting Katniss a wary look. Katniss nods and the girls all stand and leave the room, walking around the solid form that is Cato.

When all the girls are gone and the door is closed, Cato walks towards Katniss, he asks, “May I sit my Queen?”

“Yes you may,” Katniss says, he sits across from her, but his proximity made her a tad uncomfortable.

“Your majesty, you may be wondering why I have requested to speak to you,” He says, his black eyes watching her carefully. “What Snow has done to you is atrocious, and I believe that you deserve better…”

“Yes, continue on,” Katniss says cautiously, expecting the worst from Cato.

“So with your permission,” He says while shifting off of his seat across from her, he kneels on one leg and takes one of her hands, “I would like to ask for your hand in marriage, and with this I will help you to any extent with this war, I will put all my soldiers onto the battle field to save your Kingdom.”

Katniss is taken aback by his proposal, she exhales, “And if I decline?”

“Well…” Cato says, tilting his head to the side, “I see no reason for you to decline.”

Katniss pulls her hand from his grasp, and says, “It is very gracious of you to offer me this Lord Cato, but I will have to think about it. It is hard fighting a war, and your help is much needed, but I believe that distractions like this can really affect decisions. So I will think about it and have a decision for you in the morning.”

Cato nods, a smile pulling his beard across his face, he stands from his kneeling, and takes Katniss’s hand, he presses a kiss to his once more and says, “You will not regret this my Queen, and it would be my honor to be your King.”

He leaves the room, and bows towards the girls outside before this footsteps retreat down the hallway. Katniss sits still, letting the scene play out in her head, thinking that quite possibly that it might never had happened, and her mid had begun wandering once again; but when Johanna clicks her fingers in front of Katniss’s eyes, she knew that it was real.

“What did the creepy lord want?” Johanna questions, leaning into Katniss and raising her dark eyebrows.

“He… he proposed marriage.” Katniss says, furrowing her brows and tilting her head to the side.

“Goodness,” Annie gasps, she presses her hands to her chest and says, “You only just ended your engagement with Peeta.”

“I think that was his point,” Madge says, sitting next to Katniss and wrapping her arm around her comfortingly. “Did you give him an answer?”

Katniss shakes her head and replies, “No I didn’t… I feel as if I would be betraying Peeta. I didn’t stop my engagement with him to move on just as quickly… but Cato has the arms to stop the war.”

“I think that you should not even consider it,” Johanna says, seating herself between Prim and Annie, who both look at her dubiously. “Cato is a complete boob, his family are class climbers, and now he has his chance to achieve what he was born to do.”

Katniss nods and smiles, she looks over to Johanna and says, “He is a boob isn’t he?”

Johanna returns her smile and says, “The biggest of them all.”

 

* * *

 

Katniss enters the dining room for supper; Snow sits at the head of the table and scowls at her while the people around him chatter into his ear. Katniss narrows her eyes at him and turns away, focusing on Peeta, who sits at the other end of the table. His bright blue eyes alight in laughter as he talks to Prim, his eyes meet hers, and he gives her a small smile. She’s relived that he holds no hard feelings towards her; he understands where she is coming from by ending the engagement.

A form steps in front of her view, she looks up to find the familiar bronze hair of Finnick Odair. “Katniss,” he greets, his voice strained.

“Good evening Finnick,” Katniss greets, she tilts her head at his tone. “How are you?”

“All is well,” He says, he takes her arm and pulls her to the side, he leans in, his sea green eyes filled with worry. “Ann- I mean I was told about Cato’s proposal… you can possibly be considering it…are you?”

Katniss shrugs and looks to the marble floor, she replies, “He has what I need to win this war, and it would be a good move on my part.”

“What happens when the war is over then?” Finnick asks, “I heard Cato treats his mistresses like their nothing, and Katniss you do not deserve that, no woman does. Don’t do this just to win a war, it might only go for a few months, maybe even a year or two.”

“My Kingdom doesn’t have the means to participate in a war that goes over a year, we would be lucky to survive 6 months at the most. So Cato’s offer seems the best right now,” Katniss says defeated, she goes to turn away but Finnick takes her hand.

“Katniss will you marry me?” Finnick asks.

“What?”

“I asked you to marry me, anything would be better than Cato…” He says, searching her eyes, “I will give you everything I have just for you not to do this.”

Katniss casts her eyes to Annie, who stands with Madge and Johanna; she looks over to her and smiles. Katniss shifts her gaze back to Finnick and says, “I couldn’t do that to you two.” Finnick deflates dropping her hand and casting his eyes downward, “But… if I had the help of my long time friend and his grandmother, I wouldn’t have to marry Lord Cato.”

Finnick looks up and smiles, his green eyes filling with light. “Mags will help you through anything Katniss, you’re family to us.”

“That would make me Queen Mags my grandmother and you my brother, Finnick,” Katniss smiles, placing her hand on his shoulder, she says, “And I don’t consider you anything but.”

Finnick smiles and holds out his hand, she shakes it and he says, “Well then, we have a deal… _sister_.”

 

* * *

 

Peeta stands out side the door of the war room patiently waiting, the door cracks open and a familiar red headed guard looks to him. “We’ll be riding out an hour after dawn, see me and I’ll give you armor and bring a sword.”

Peeta reaches out and shakes The Seam guard’s hand, “Thank you Darius, thank you so much.”

“Not an issue your majesty,” Darius smiles, “I’m happy to help.”

 

* * *

Katniss lays on her bed, staring out into the dark night sky, her mind wanders like it has been for the last couple days. She imagines a life of freedom, a life free of responsibility, a life where she can go out hunting and have limitless free time, a life where she can have children that can grow up with out the atrocities of royal court. A life where she can be with the man she loves in peace.

A light knock sounds at the door, and she snaps out of her haziness, Katniss gets out of bed and pads over to the heavy mahogany door, and she pulls it open.

“Peeta,” She greets is a sweet tone, her silver eyes stare up at his, making him lost for words for a moment.

“Hello Katniss,” He replies, his voice catching, he clears his throat as he asks, “may I come in?”

Katniss nods and opens the door fully letting him in. Peeta stands in the middle of her room, she turns to face him, and she watches him as his bright eyes move from her face to roam her body, making her visibly shiver; she does the same, her eyes moving from his mop of bright blonde curls to his chiseled jaw, to his broad shoulders, and to his big calloused hands, the ones who’s finger tips would lightly run up and down her arms.

“Katniss…” he begins, loosing his voice. He waits a moment and finally gets out, “I’m leaving to go fight your war.”

“Excuse me?” She asks in a quiet voice, her eyes widening making her seem younger.

“I’ve decided what my father has done isn’t right, and I want to make it right, I want to help you fight this war.” Peeta says in one breath, gasping for air when he finishes.

“You don’t need to do this Peeta,” Katniss says, walking towards him, “You don’t need to fight my fights.”

Peeta steps towards her and cups her small face in his calloused hands, she lets out a small gasp, she lightly places her hands over his, and stares into his eyes. He says to her in a low voice, “Of course I need to help you fight your fights, we may not be engaged anymore Katniss, but God if I ever turned my back on you I would ever forgive myself.”

“If you leave I’ll never forgive you.” Katniss says quietly, stepping in closer to Peeta, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He replies in a low voice, “That’s something I could live with.”

Peeta tilts her head up and presses his lips to hers, she lets out a low whimper, and he pulls her in closer, so their bodies are touching from head to toe. Katniss runs her hands through his blonde curls, crushing her lips to his. His arms completely surround her, making her feel safe and warm, against his solid and broad chest.

Katniss moves her hands from his hair to his jacket when he deepens the kiss, her fingers let his buttons go one by one, moving down until it completely falls off of his shoulder, Peeta shrugs it off and moves his hands to her waist. Katniss pulls him back wards to her bed; she breaks apart from the kiss, and sits him down on the bed. He looks up at her and whispers, “Are you sure about this Katniss?”

Katniss replies by giving Peeta a light kiss, she pulls his shirt up over his head, letting her eyes land on his bare torso, he has a light dusting of freckles on his shoulders; she places her hands on his shoulders letting them wander down his muscly back.

He pulls her onto him, wrapping his arms round her torso. She sits on his lap, feeling his desire. She had heard about this in the convent, the nuns talked to her about it, how it usually was saved for marriage, but apparently if one loved another enough, or couldn’t get married, they could do it. Katniss never desired it, nor ever really thought about it, but the thing is Katniss hadn’t even kissed a boy back then, she had never met anyone that could bring out this in her… this craving.

Peeta begins to pull up her nightdress, exposing her legs, he runs his hands up them stopping mid thigh. She shifts over him, causing him to moan into her mouth, he breaks their kiss and looks up at her in amazement, his eyes glowing in the dying light of the fire. Katniss pulls her nightdress up over her head, leaving her only in her under garments. Peeta lets out a little gasp, she watches him as his lets his eyes roam over her exposed body. The fire in the hearth finally dies out, leaving them with the moon as their only light source.

Peeta manages to get his trousers off, leaving him in his under garments; together they strip off, fully exposing themselves to each other. They explore each other’s bodies, kissing and touching, finding their sweet spots, and the places that make their toes curl.

A few moments pass, and Peeta quietly says to her, “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Katniss gasps, as Peeta nibbles on her, and then slowly but surely they’re connected. Peeta lets out a moan, as he slowly moves into her; Katniss bites her lip, an uncomfortable feeling settles over her at the intrusion, but as Peeta begins to move it quickly fades, and pleasure builds. Soon they’re both releasing, saying each others name in short gasps.

In her fading consciousness Katniss feels the duvet pulled up over her, and a solid form lay next to her. She curls up to Peeta, feeling his arms wrap around her, and his lips press to her forehead.

He whispers, “I think I never stopped loving you.”

She looks up at him, her brows furrowed and her eyes barely open, she replies, “I never knew you loved me.”

“Ever since I was five,” Peeta says, shifting his gaze to her lips, he presses his to them and mumbles, “And anything else was a lie.”

Katniss feels herself smile, and tucks her head under his chin, their legs tangle together, and his hand lazily strokes her hair. She murmurs to him in her haziness, “Stay with me.”

He turns his head, and with his lips pressed against her ear, he replies, “Always.”

 

* * *

 

Peeta wakes to the sun breaking over the horizon, he blinks away the sleep in his eyes, and looks down at his dead arm. Katniss’s dark hair was scattered all over the pillows. He feels a smile stretch across his face, he leans over and presses his lips to hers, she stirs and cracks open an eye, a small smile appears on her lips, and she pulls him down for one more.

Peeta pulls back, and says to her quietly, “I have to go, but I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

Katniss nods, as he kisses her. He climbs out of the bed, he pulls on his undergarments, trousers and shirt, and he pulls on his boots, and picks his jacket off of the floor. Peeta leans down and kisses Katniss once more, a long sweet one, her hand tangles in his curls, and pulls him closer. He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against hers, he whispers, “Always.”

 

* * *

 

His boots crunch against the rubble of the stables, as Peeta walks towards his horse, Kaiser, his chestnut coat separates it from the rest of the coal black horses of the Seam. He saddles him up, and loads on his supplies that were given to him by Darius.

He pats Kaiser’s long main, and says to him, “Are you ready boy?” Kaiser nudges Peeta’s hand and he smiles giving Kaiser one last pat.

The Seam armor is much heavier than that of the Capitol; the dark armor is obviously suited more for battle, and to protect the wearer from arrows and swords. The golden pressed Mockingjay reminds Peeta of Katniss, her beautiful voice that would ring out against the autumn air.

He mounts this horse, and leads him out to join the rest of the knights. Darius trots over to him on his dark horse, and he says to Peeta, “Lets go to war.”   


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Kudos and Comments are always appreciated :)


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